EU extends Somali training mission



The EU has approved the extension of its military train-and-advise mission (EUTM) in Somalia until 31 December 2016. The decision came during a 16 March meeting in Brussels of EU foreign ministers.

Launched in 2010 and based in Mogadishu, EUTM Somalia oversees the training of infantry, officers, and special forces, and provides strategic advice to Somalia’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) on personnel management, strategic planning, and defence legislation. With a staff of 125, it has trained some 5,000 troops so far.

Meanwhile EUCAP Nestor, the EU’s counter-piracy mission in east Africa, said it handed over six Nissan 4×4 vehicles, 25 computers, and 30 GPS devices to Somalia’s Coast Guard on 15 March to help the latter combat piracy along its coastline.