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Latest news from EU peacekeeping missions and operations – CSDP (September 2021)

(B2) Even traditional missions contain curiosities. The news of the missions of this past month is no exception. She embarks us on a flagship off the coast of Somalia, in the streets of kyiv for the gay pride, in the Iraqi capital to list the heritage damaged, lost, stolen over the years of war and trafficking, or on the heights of Georgia where thirteen years ago, we no longer dared to speak of peace

Somalia. Reunion at sea TeamEurope

The ESPS Navarre, the flagship of the maritime operation off Somalia (EUNAVFOR Atalanta), served as a rallying point for the senior representatives of the three missions of the European Union in Somalia (the military training missions/operations EUTM and maritime EUNAVFOR, and the civil support to security and maritime forces EUCAP) as well as the EU delegation in Somalia. This meeting in person, which had not happened for many months, the fault of Covid-19, made it possible to discuss their cooperation to work towards the stabilization of the country. Details here

Rear Admiral Alejandro Cuerda, Operation ATALANTA Force Commander, Brigadier General Fabiano Zinzone, EUTM Commander, and Chris Reynolds, EUCAP Somalia Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Delegation of the EU in Somalia, Oren Wolff (credit: EUNAVFOR Atalanta, 2021)

Kyiv (Ukraine). Pride marches under good escort

Mission accomplished for the mission of advice to the Ukrainian internal security forces (EUAM Ukraine). By organizing cooperation between civil society and representatives of the security forces before each of the marches organized in Odessa, Kharkov, and more recently Kiev, the mission has contributed to better coordinating the preparation of security measures, and thus avoiding violence against the LGBT + community, while threats had, this time again, been very clearly launched. Details here

The parade in Kiev (credit: EUAM Ukraine)

Baghdad (Iraq). Preserving cultural heritage also promotes peace

The security forces advisory mission in Iraq (EUAM Iraq) develops the originality of working on the protection of cultural heritage and the fight against organized crime. For good reason, Iraq is one of the richest places on the planet in terms of heritage. Last action to date, the meeting of nearly 70 Iraqi actors and international partners for two days. Their goal: to create or rather to reconstitute an official Iraqi national database for cultural objects, a means of identifying and recovering stolen or missing objects ". A project funded by Germany. Details here

(credit: EUAM Iraq)

Hargeisa (Somalia). Coast Guard Training Partnership

The local office of the Somali Maritime Capability Support Mission (EUCAP Somalia) supported the first stage of an intensive multi-month theoretical and practical training program for 15 Somaliland Coastguards. On the program: the evaluation of the capacities of the coastguards to better adapt the training to be followed. At the same time, the Senior Maritime Advisor in the local office has started working in the Operations Room/Command Center of the Somaliland Coast Guard Headquarters for sharing of best practices. Details here

(credit: EUCAP Somalia)

Roma (Italy). Irini is open to all influences!

Raising awareness of human rights and inter-religious dialogue... To this end, the operation has signed an agreement with an Italian organisation, the Accademia Internazionale Mauriziana, a Catholic association with a cultural and charitable vocation. The objective " is to improve participants' knowledge of human rights and their skills in carrying out their duties, including the management of persons rescued at sea specifies the operation. Details here

Signature at HQ in Rome between Admiral Fabio Agostini, Force Commander, and Duke Fabrizio Mechi di Pontassieve, President of the Accademia Internazionale Mauriziana

Georgia. 13 years ago, the end of a conflict

« People here just want to get back to normal life ". This is what the EU civilian observation mission in Georgia wants to contribute to explains Melissa Bauer, police officer from EUMM Georgia, in a short one and a half minute video. She also recalls the reason for the mission's launch on September 15, 2008, and its role since then in monitoring the implementation of the 6-point agreement that ended the conflict between Georgia and Russia.

Central African Republic. A Frenchman at the head of EUTM RCA

On Saturday, September 11, Portuguese General Neves de Abreu handed over command of the training mission of the Central African armed forces (EUTM RCA) to French General Jacques de Montgros. B2 readers had already been able to discover his bio this summer. 

General de Montgros met with the President of the Central African Republic, FATouadéra, a few days later (credit: EUTM RCA)

Succession to Irini

The Greek Frigate HS Themistoklis (F-465) becomes the flagship of the force, under the authority of Greek Commodore Michail Magkos (read: Greece assumes area command of Operation Irini in the Mediterranean). And the German supply ship Bonn (A-1413) arrives as a relay from Berlin—left on a mission in the Indo Pacific. On board, two helicopters, served by soldiers from the Nordholz naval aviation, and a boarding party, very useful for carrying out inspections of suspicious ships. they will ensure control of the embargo off the Libyan coast, at a key moment: the Libyan general elections in December which should lead to a new government of national unity.

The supply ship Bonn departing from its home port Wilhelmshaven (credit: Bundeswehr)

(information collected by Emmanuelle Stroesser)

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    Emmanuelle Stroesser

    A journalist for magazines and the press, Emmanuelle specializes in humanitarian issues, development, asylum and migration and human rights.

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