EU commander seeks longer stay in Mali
Iran Press TV
Thu Jul 18, 2013 3:35PM GMT
The head of the European Union's training mission to Mali has requested that the training group stay in the African country for at least one year longer than planned.
Current mission commander Gen. Francois Lecointre told EU member state officials on Wednesday that the foreign military presence should remain in the country beyond the May 2014 deadline, in order to train all eight units of the Malian army "for elementary military" operations.
"I think we need to add at least one year for us to be able to train" the other four units, the French commander said, adding that the extended stay would also provide better skills for local soldiers and their officers.
Lecointre's proposal would require the support of the EU's 28 member states who are due to review the current mission in the fall.
Mali plans presidential elections later this month - a first since the last year military coup overthrew democratically elected President Amadou Toumani Toure.
The coup leaders said they mounted the rebellion in response to the government's inability to contain the Tuareg rebellion in the north of the country, which had been going on for two months.
France launched a war in the resource-rich West African country in January under the pretext of fighting al-Qaeda-linked extremists.
The French-led war on Mali has caused a serious humanitarian crisis in the northern areas of the country and has displaced thousands of people, who now live in deplorable conditions.
GMA/KA
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