The European Union has agreed to support Cabo Verde, the Central African Republic and Senegal in improving their security and stability.
Cabo Verde, a country consisting of 10 volcanic islands, will receive $14 million over four years from the European Peace Facility (EPF). In addition to strengthening Cabo Verde’s armed forces, the money will boost cooperation with the navies of EU states. The EU will provide the Cabo Verdean Armed Forces with equipment and services for patrolling and surveillance, including delivery of an oceangoing patrol vessel and training.
The mandate of the EU Military Training Mission in the CAR is extended to September 2026 with $13 million allocated. The mission, established in April 2016, offers strategic advice and education for noncommissioned officers and officers of the Central African Armed Forces. So far, the mission has trained and educated 9,500 CAR military personnel and built a modern, effective, credible, ethnically balanced and democratically accountable nation.
The EU has given Senegal an $11.6 million boost over three years to help the country’s armed forces defend against internal and external threats. The funding will go to nonlethal equipment and operational infrastructure for continuous land and river surveillance, intelligence gathering and force protection.
In the Sahel, the EU Council has extended the mandate of the regional advisory and coordination cell in the civilian EU Capacity Building Mission in Mali. It supports regional and cross-border cooperation in the Sahel and strengthens national capabilities in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. The extension, according to the council, will not incur any cost.
The EPF was established in March 2021 for the financing of actions to prevent conflicts, preserve peace, and strengthen international security and stability. When created, the facility had an initial financial ceiling of $7.6 million but has since raised it three times. The majority of facility funding goes to Ukraine.