BAMAKO/GAO, Mali: In preparation for a drawdown of French troops from Mali, a European Union team started training Malian soldiers for battle against militants who overran much of this West African country before they were pushed back by a French military intervention.
On a recent day, small groups of Malians stood in the burning heat and orange sands in the town of Koulikoro, 60 km (37 miles) west of the capital Bamako, learning to hold weapons. They began the training last week, and this week they learned how to shoot from standing, sitting and prone positions.
About 550 people form the team meant to ready Mali's army for combat. But there is worry that the project to train thousands of soldiers may not be sufficient to keep the armed militants at bay.
French forces entered Mali swiftly and strongly in January after militants began a formidable push south toward the country's capital. The militants ruled the northern half of Mali for nearly 10 months before the French-led military operation forced them into the desert surrounding the main cities. The extremists have responded with a series of attacks, including suicide bombings.
French military spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard said this week that about 100 French troops have been pulled out of Mali and were as of this week in Cyprus on their way back to France. Last month, French President Francois Hollande said that by July, about 2,000 French soldiers will still be in the former French colony, down from 4,000 at the peak deployment, and at the end of the year "1,000 French soldiers will remain." He said the French troops would likely be part of a UN peacekeeping operation that France is pushing for.
The French-led operation with backing from regional bloc ECOWAS and under authorization of the UN Security Council has largely been hailed a success so far, though there are some concerns the militants will simply regroup once the French start drawing down.
Mali's military chain of command was broken after a coup last year. Soldiers lack respect for their commanders and superiors. There are reports that soldiers, humiliated by their defeat last year at the hands of the extremists, have carried out reprisals against the Arab and Tuareg civilians left behind.
Human Rights Watch released a report yesterday that said two Tuareg men who had been arrested in February and tortured by Malian soldiers in the Timbuktu region have died in detention in Bamako.
The army had detained seven Tuareg men between the ages of 21 and 66 in February on suspicion they supported radical militant groups, the rights group said. The seven told a researcher they had been "severely beaten and kicked, burned, injected with a caustic substance, and threatened with death while in custody," the report said.
Col. Christophe Paczka, a French commander of the training center in Koulikoro, said weapons and equipment were brought and assembled for the training of the Malian troops.
"This army is getting back on its feet and needs weapons," Paczka said.
This week, the Malian trainees gathered in fatigues in front of chalkboards where European instructors showed them the basics of their weapons. The soldiers also laid on their bellies side by side, learning to aim from the ground.
Eventually 2,800 soldiers will be trained, said Col. Laurent Viellefosse, a trainer for the program.
The Malian soldiers seem motivated about the training as they split into smaller groups with instructors from England, Finland, Sweden and France.
"We have had easy exercises, some others more difficult, but nothing that's insurmountable," said Malian soldier Soumaila Fomba. "I'm most interested in leadership and commanding on the field, and shooting."
Mali urges French troops to stay
Mali's Prime Minister yesterday urged France to maintain a military presence in its former colony, as troops began an early withdrawal three months after ousting armed Islamists from the country's north.
Diango Cissoko made the plea on a tour of Gao, the first visit to the battle-scarred northern city by a head of government since it was overrun by Al-Qaeda-linked militants more than a year ago.
The premier, who was welcomed by locals and military personnel, paid tribute to the French troops who intervened to liberate northern Mali from the armed militias in January.
"The Malian nation will be eternally grateful," he said.
But he urged the French army to "continue on this path" and stay in Mali, despite Paris pulling out 100 soldiers ahead of schedule this week as part of a phased withdrawal of the majority of its 4,000 troops.
