Page 25 - Signal Summer 2019

| EUTM MALI |
Comdt Kyran Chief Instructor, 7 Bn , Col Ignacio Rosales De Salamanca, ETTF Commander Spanish Army and Lt Col. Sogoba Sangare upon the conclusion of EUTMs consolidated block of training in EMIA (Malian cadet school in December 2018).
participation in other missions, particularly in the Middle East, as they relate to the MFA are essentially extraneous and have no bearing on the relationship between the MFA & EUTM. The particular tribal and inter-ethnic conflicts that exist in Mali are far more relevant. The Tuareg rebellion of 2012 and the potential inclusion of this ethnicity due the Accelerated Disarmament, Disengagement and Reintegration (A-DDR) process loom large on the horizon. The MFA’s own attitudes to the Tourag tribe need to be addressed as soon as they become evident. Part of the confidence building process in the mission involves the inclusion of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in all training, both centralised, or decentralised. It itself forms a core mandatory component of all training, in order to provide a holistic, all- encompassing approach.
The A-DDR remains in the planning phase. However, once initiated, it will have obvious consequences for the mission. Security, force protection, availability of human assets and infrastructure are all areas that need to be established prior to initiating training in this area. The potential for a number of Tourag or other ethnic groups to participate in the this process will present its own unique challenges for inclusion and addressing the sensitivities of the MFA.
Interoperability
EUTM has approximately 24 different contributing nations. Since its establishment the Irish have been collocated with the British contingent as part of Op. NEWCOMBE (the British Armed Forces participation in the mission). There is an obvious benefit
for both nations and the relationship between the two militaries is emblematic of the overall integration and cooperation which the mission enjoys. Issues of an individual’s prior experience or regimental history are again completely extraneous and should not feature anywhere in the mission.
The integration and inclusion of all nations is far more important, it is critical that the participating personnel at all levels foster close working bonds and ties from the outset. Sports, PT, cohesion and the shared experience, similarities and commonalities of military service act as a tool in order to foster these relationships. Training and broadly speaking, doctrinally all the participants are similar, however in the delivery of training, trainers personnel must be comfortable and familiar with Malian doctrine which eliminates and removes the necessity for developing a bespoke product.
There are a number of other missions and entities in the area. These various actors although independent of each other at times provide support and assistance where and when required. Operation Barkhane1, MINUSMA2, EUCAP3 & G5 Sahel4 all enjoy certain levels of cooperation and have a form of reciprocal benefit.
1 Operation Barkhane is a French led counter-insurgency operation in the Sahel region that commenced on August 1st 2014.
2 United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission (MINUSMA) in Mali is a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali.
3 EU Capacity Building Mission in Mali (EUCAP Mali).
4 G5 Sahel is an institutional framework for coordination of regional cooperation in development policies and security mat- ters in west Africa. It is comprised of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
The entire Multinational Trainers team. 80 plus officers and NCOs from more than countries, all highly skilled, trained professional soldiers. A great example of international cooperation.
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