The two missions assisting Mali’s army and police are part of international efforts to stabilise Mali and extend the state’s authority, but the EU is facing questions about whether it inadvertently helped train the coup plotters.
BRUSSELS/BAMAKO - The European Union has suspended training in Mali after the military coup this month that removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from power, officials said on Wednesday, while Germany acknowledged that some perpetrators had been trained in Europe.
However, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted that the suspension of the EU’s training missions was temporary. He also denied any EU responsibility for the 18 August coup. “Ninety percent of the army has been trained by our mission, but the four most prominent leaders have not been trained by our mission.”West African mediators and Mali’s coup leaders are discussing the possibility of a transitional government, which could allow the EU to eventually resume training in partnership with the United Nations.
The 88-member International Organisation of La Francophonie suspended Mali on Tuesday. The group’s secretary general Louise Mushikiwabo called for the release of Keita and other officials detained by the junta since 18 August.
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