On June 21, 2022, for the second time in its history, the Czech Armed Forces took over the command of European forces in Mali. Czechs were in the lead of the operation once before, in 2020. The EUTM Mali Force Commander is now Brigadier General Radek Hasala, who took over from Brigadier General Christian Riener of Austria. In the next six months, Czech Armed Forces service personnel will be in command of over 700 European service members from 25 countries.
The EU Training Mission in Mali was established in 2013 in response to attacks of Islamist radicals waged on the country. Since 2020, the EUTM has been authorised to also provide assistance to the other countries forming G5 Sahel – Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauretania and Chad. During the past nine years, EU service personnel have trained over 22 thousand soldiers and instructors of the Malian Armed Forces, who are now better positioned to face security challenges threatening to destabilise the country.
Reflecting on the current security developments in Mali during the Change of Command ceremony, General Hasala highlighted the importance of EUTM: “Mali continues to face significant security threats. I believe that the support and cooperation of EUTM units with the Malian Armed Forces substantially shapes the stability of this country. Therefore I dare say that our job here is far from being over.”
According to Deputy Defence Minister Daniel Blažkovec, the takeover of command of EUTM Mali represents an important milestone for the Czech Republic: "We are in the lead of EUTM for the second time already, which undoubtedly testifies to the high quality and professionalism of the Czech Armed Forces service personnel. The importance of this mission is underscored by the fact that the Czech Republic is taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July 1st.”
The Change of Command ceremony took place in Bamako in attendance of dozens of distinguished guests, including Malian Government and Armed Forces officials. The Czech MoD and Armed Forces were represented in the ceremony by Deputy Defence Minister Daniel Blažkovec and Commander of the Joint Operations Command Lieutenant General Josef Kopecký. Brigadier General Hasala received the EUTM Mali flag as the command insignia from the Director of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) Admiral Hervé Bléjean. EU Ambassador in Mali Bart Ouvry represented the European Union and Chief of General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces General Oumar Diarra attended the ceremony on behalf of Mali.
While this has not been the first tour of Czech service personnel in command of the mission, following on the effort of their predecessors and maintaining continuity will not be new for them. They will continue to train Malian units with emphasis on increasing Malian autonomous training capabilities.
Brigadier General Radek Hasala has operational experience from Afghanistan and served three years as the Director of the Office of Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Petr Pavel. Prior to the departure for Mali, BG Hasala served as the commander of the Training Command – Military Academy in Vyškov. In Mali, he will rely on a team of thirty specialists selected from across the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence, including defence civilians serving as a Political Advisor and Legal Advisor for international humanitarian law.
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