The European Union mission in Mali, EUTM-MALI, finishes after eleven years of collaborating with the Malian authorities to train the Malian Armed Forces

A military ceremony at the headquarters of the European Union Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali marked the end of the European multinational presence in the Sahel country.

The military parade, presided over by Lieutenant General Michiel Van der Laan, Commander of the Mission, was attended by Lieutenant General Francisco Braco Carbó, head of the Operations Command, as well as by the delegate of the European Union, the ambassadors of Spain and the other countries with diplomatic representation in Bamako.  The Director General of the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Europe Sekou Gaoussou and Malian Major General Oumar Diarra, Chief of the General Staff has also attended.

At the ceremony, General Diarra distinguished Brigadier General Santiago Fernandez Ortiz-Repiso, Force Commander, as a Knight of the National Order of Mali, in a foreign capacity. On behalf of the European Union, Lieutenant General Van der Laan awarded General Fernandez Ortiz-Repiso the medal for extraordinary service.

This farewell ceremony marked the end of the mission in which military personnel from 27 European countries have participated, acting as trainers for more than 20,000 members of the Malian Armed Forces since 2013.

19 generals of different nationalities have served as Force Commanders in the field, with Spanish Brigadier General Santiago Fernández Ortiz-Repiso as the last Force Commander