7th EUTM Mali (European Union Training Mission)

The seventh Spanish contingent in the EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) will be leaving the military airbase of Talavera la Real (Badajoz) on 3 November.

Sources in the Ministry of Defence have confirmed that the contingent will be deployed on 3 and 11 November in two flights departing from the abovementioned airbase.

In this new contingent, Spain will be deploying 106 soldiers. 88 of them come from the 11th Mechanised Brigade “Extremadura”, based in Bótoa (Badajoz): 31 officers and 57 troops.

The Spanish troops are distributed among the headquarters in Bamako and Brussels; the force protection company in Koulikoro camp; the special operations, artillery and mortar teams; and the command support team which assists the mission commander.

EUTM-Mali falls within the EU Common Security and Defence Policy. The aim of the mission is to advise the Malian Army on establishing a chain of command and exerting effective control over all military functions: personnel, intelligence, operations and logistics.

In addition, the Spanish troops are providing Malian troops with basic training on engineering, mortars and fire support, light armoured vehicles and special operations.