One of the objectives of the Union’s “strategic compass”, officially adopted in March. Does the common security and defense policy, which aims to strengthen international security and prevent conflicts, nevertheless achieve its objectives? The question was reignited recently in a brutal way, in Brussels, where the ambassadors have been debating, since the end of May, new military missions in Niger, in Burkina Faso as well as in a “identified coastal state” – but not yet named – from the Gulf of Guinea.
Several civilian missions are currently in difficulty. In Mali, the army training launched in 2013 is “suspended” since April – as have the deliveries of equipment – due in particular to the presence of Russian forces from the Wagner group and growing hostility towards France.
The mission to advise the security forces in the Central African Republic, which has become the most important focus of Wagner’s paramilitaries, was stopped at the end of 2021, while its mandate was supposed to last until August 2022. Another training mission, in Somalia, stalled because of the government’s desire for autonomy and the lack of soldiers to train. As for the “Atalanta” maritime initiative to fight against piracy and stabilize the country, it now seems to be limited to an attempt to control drug trafficking.
Embarrassing situation in Niger
Other difficulties arise. In Niger, the current mission of training security forces in the fight against terrorism and controlling migration is the subject of much criticism. Information received in Brussels, headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS), reports vagueness on the use of funds, problems of human resources management and recruitment. An embarrassing situation, while the country is described as a new axis of political gravity in the region and should play a role in the revision of the European presence in the Sahel.
The list of questions does not stop there. They also concern Libya, where the border control support mission, supposed to extend until June 2023, has been deserted by several executives, while the training of the coastguards, which officially remains a priority within the framework of the “Irini” mission to monitor the arms embargo, still arouses controversy. Germany announced at the end of March that it would no longer participate in this operation supervised by the EU, because of the ill-treatment inflicted on migrants.
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