EU training Mali on donated Casspirs

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The European Union Training Mission (EUTM) Mali has been training Malian forces on the Casspir armoured personnel carriers that were recently donated by Germany.

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence said in the four-week course, Malian soldiers first learn about the vehicle. “From simple shelling by enemy forces to attack with improvised booby traps, we train with the Malian soldiers in a variety of situations,” said a German Lieutenant, who works together with his team of Irish, Czech and Hungarian trainers.

Training covers ambushes, the deployment of soldiers, improvised explosive devices, medical evacuation and breakdowns.

German ambassador Dietrich Becker handed over 29 Casspir vehicles in the garrison town of Kati to General Abdoulaye Coulibaly, Chief of Mali’s General Staff in mid-July.

The refurbished vehicles, and spares, were procured second-hand under the framework of a project of the German Ministry of Defense, and deployed to operational areas.

The package also includes driver training, mechanic training and crew training through the European Union Training Mission. Later this year, another ten armoured transporters for the Malian forces will be purchased, the German defence ministry said.