EU approves Mali military training plan

(BRUSSELS) - EU foreign ministers approved Monday plans to deploy an EU military training mission in Mali to help the government regain control of the vast semi-desert north from Islamist rebels.

"The presence of terrorist groups and the oppression of local populations in the north of Mali, as well as human rights violations, not only pose a grave threat to the Sahel region, but also to north Africa and to Europe," said EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton.

The European Union mission is "absolutely uncontroversial," said a senior official who insisted on anonymity. "It has the backing of the Malian authorities, of the United Nations and African inter-governmental organisations."

Under the plan, some 250 EU officers would be sent to train Malian combat units and help restructure the country's weakened army.

It aims to train four battalions, or a total of 2,600 troops, near Segou, 250 kilometres (155 miles) north of Bamako.

"It's about helping the army get itself back functioning operationally, and raising morale -- giving it the capacity to change things on the ground," said a European security expert.

Currently, the rebels "do not consider the Malian army as a credible threat," this source added.

The EU on Sunday said it was offering another 20 million euros ($26 million) in humanitarian aid for the country, bringing the total to 101 million euros.

PRESS RELEASE - 3209th Council meeting - FOREIGN AFFAIRS - Brussels, 10 December 2012 (provisional version)