About: war

Mali to get €520 million of EU aid

President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said on Tuesday that the EU will pledge more than half a billion euros to help rebuild Mali after months of conflict. The announcement came ahead of a conference of international donors in Brussels on Wednesday. French President François Hollande and Mali’s interim President will be among those leading the gathering. The Malian government is seeking around €2 billion in development aid to help fund a roadmap to keep the peace and help restore infrastructure in the country.

EU troops will not fight in Mali

Despite the unexpected French military intervention against islamist rebels in Mali, the European Union on Monday dismissed taking a combat role in the conflict. Instead, the EU plans to speed up its preparations to train the Malian army in combating the Islamist rebels who seized the north of the country last spring. According to the EU's executive, the training mission will be sent in late February or early March.