Latest news from EU Peacekeeping Missions (CSDP) – April 2014

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Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). General Bradshaw's first visit to the EUFOR/Althea mission

General Adrian John Bradshaw, Head of Operation EUFOR Althea, and D-Saceur (Deputy Commander-in-Chief of NATO) went to Sarajevo for the first time to visit his troops. General Bradshaw highlighted the importance of stabilization in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the " support to national institutions ". These three days will have enabled him to visit storage warehouses for surplus weapons and ammunition. A real risk in terms of security and a significant burden for the administration, he underlined.

 

Manjaca (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Coordination with the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The final coordination conference of the EUFOR mission and the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina took place on 7 May. This combined training exercise is an annual event. And for the first time this year, the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina will also have command responsibility in the planning and execution of this exercise. This conference was the last chance for all exercise participants to meet and gather before the start of the exercise in four weeks. Several senior officers were present, such as Brigadier General Sakib Foric, Colonel Kenan Dautović, representing the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Colonel Alptekin Tartici, from the EUFOR Operation Headquarters.

Kyiv (Ukraine). Delivery of equipment by EULEX Kosovo

The EULEX Kosovo mission donated ten Nissan Patrols to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to support the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. The handover ceremony was attended by Sean Kernis, Head of Technical Services of the EULEX Mission and Tams Magda, Head of Administration and Finance of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. Sean Kernis recalls that the mission " EULEX, is always ready to help, whenever there is an opportunity to do so ". Tamas Magda, for his part, thanked the representatives of the EULEX mission for their help and support: “ This donation will prove very useful and will contribute to a more efficient work ". Kernis also announced that at the request of the OSCE, several vehicles could be handed over to them in the coming months.

Koulikoro and Bamako (Mali). The Czechs are happy in Mali

The Czech Republic has contributed, since the beginning, to the European training mission of the Malian army (EUTM Mali), with a detachment of around 40 soldiers. Two missions are in their charge. 1° The protection of the headquarters of the EUTM mission in Mali, whose headquarters are located in Bamako. These Czech soldiers work on a daily basis in collaboration with the Malian soldiers to guarantee the security of the site. Mostly from the 7th Mechanized Brigade based in Hranice, 300 km from Prague, they have solid experience (with missions carried out in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo). 2° At the Koulikoro training camp, four Czech instructors participate in the training of Malian soldiers in the field of infantry.

Mogadisco (Somalia). Medicines for the Somali National Army

During a visit to the Jazeera training camp in Mogasdishu, officials from the Somali army training mission (EUTM Somalia) handed over medicines and medical equipment to national army personnel. Lieutenant-Colonel Zarko Micovic, representative of the EUTM Somalia mission, thus handed over the equipment to JTC -Role 1 (director of the advanced aid post) Dr. Abdullaï. The cooperation between EUTM Somalia and the Somali National Army takes place within the framework of the EU's overall action in Somalia, developed with a view to better responding to the priority needs of the Somali people and their government, as well as to the objective of stabilizing Somalia.

(Information collected by Jérémy Cauderlier).