MOSCOW, (Sputnik) – EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the European Union closed the EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM), aimed at training Malian armed forces units and providing consultative aid, and withdrew its personnel from the African country.
«The EU Training mission in Mali terminated yesterday. All the personnel operating under the EU flag has left the country,» Borrell said on X on Sunday.
European military instructors trained over 20,000 Malian soldiers, «helping to combat terrorism,» Borrell added. At the same time, he noted that Brussels remains open to cooperation with those who want to work with the EU.
In late March, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that EU countries failed to reach an agreement to prolong the training mission in Mali, marking the end of the EU’s military presence in this strategic region.
