Between 25 and 29 September 2023 the Austrian Centre for Peace (ACP) successfully concluded Security Sector Reform (SSR) training in Bamako, Mali. This 5-day need-based training, conducted in French, was attended by 19 participants – staff of the EU Capacity-Building Mission in Mali (EUCAP Sahel Mali).
Given the ongoing volatile security situation in Mali and the relationship between the Malian authorities and the EU, the mandate of the EUCAP Sahel Mali has been extended, focusing more “on strengthening the ethical standard of the internal security forces as well as strengthening their structural and operational capacities”. This means EUCAP Sahel Mali has the responsibility to provide guidance, expertise and advice to Malian authorities in their SSR process.
ACP, together with the EUCAP Sahel Mali as the main beneficiary of the training, followed the bottom-up design and developed a course programme tailored to the needs of the mission personnel. The initial part of the training focused on the general principles of SSR – also linked to the Malian context. In the second part, the focus shifted to the implementation and management of SSR processes and supporting the translation of SSR principles to the circumstances of the mission in Mali. The final part of the training was dedicated to applying the learnings of the previous days to the challenges faced by the mission.
The trainers’ expertise, knowledge of the Malian context, and participants’ active engagement and genuine interest in the training topic highly contributed to the training’s success. They were especially interested in the connection between SSR and Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), the participation of different actors and the importance of the advisory role in both processes.
This expertise will serve them in their future professional engagements with their local counterparts and we wish all the participants much success in their future endeavours.
More about Security Sector Reform HERE.
