Military Reformer (EU intervention in Guinea Bissau)

Newsletter 2010/06/02 - Military Reformer

BISSAU/BERLIN (Own report) - The EU's intervention in West Africa's Guinea Bissau threatens to be a failure. According to a press statement made public this Monday in Brussels, the EU is suspending, for the time being, the activities of its personnel, who are supposed to "reform the security sector" in Bissau. The EU is giving up because of its failure to terminate persisting power struggles within the country's military. Brussels would like to strengthen its control over this West African country through a reorganization of Guinea Bissau's armed forces. Since an attempted coup in April, it has become doubtful that the EU will succeed. The conflicts involve high ranking military personnel with considerable national influence and who are suspected of involvement in drug trafficking. On Monday, Guinea Bissau's president, whose power is dwindling, called on the EU - in spite its having suspended its intervention - to continue its support "for the
struggle against drug trafficking". For Berlin the intervention in Guinea Bissau is important. It could serve as a model for other interventions in "security sector reform" (SSR). New interventions are currently being prepared for West Africa.

more
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56348