The European Union military mission to train the Malian Armed Forces officially ended its 11-year presence in the West African state on Friday, following Brussels’ announcement last week not to extend the mission’s mandate.
The EU mission arrived in Mali in 2013 with the aim of training the country’s armed forces to combat terrorist attacks that have plagued the nation since 2012.
The mission consisted of about 700 soldiers from nearly 20 European countries before its numbers were significantly reduced due to diplomatic tensions between Bamako and Western partners.
On May 8, the European Commission announced that it would not renew the mission’s mandate due to the “evolving political and security situation” in the country. Mali has been under military rule following successive coups in 2020 and 2021, with the army promising to transfer power through elections in February. However, the military postponed the elections indefinitely, citing the unstable security situation exacerbated by extremist attacks.
Since 2020, the military has increasingly severed ties, particularly with former colonial power France, and has pivoted towards Russia. Neighboring countries Burkina Faso and Niger, facing similar issues as Mali, also saw their governments overthrown by the military, leading to France being pushed out and a turn towards Russia.
The official training mission ceremony was held on Friday at its headquarters in the capital, Bamako. Since 2013, two mission members have died: a Portuguese soldier killed in an attack on a camp in Bamako in 2017 and a Spanish soldier who died near the town of Sevare in 2018, according to mission figures.
The mission stated on its “X” platform that it had trained 20,000 Malian soldiers during its time in the African nation.
