EU crisis management
in Africa
IREn5021 EU crisis management
Jana Urbanovská, Ph.D.
13 May 2021

Content
•EU crisis management in Africa
•Crisis management operations in Africa
•Civilian
•Military
•Presentations of case studies
•EUFOR DR Congo
•EUTM Mali
•EU NAVFOR Somalia (Atalanta)
•EUBAM Libya
•

EU crisis management in Africa
•Significance of Africa for Europe
•Source of many threats
•Armed conflicts, terrorism, religious radicalism, illegal migration, organized crime – spill-over
effects
•Source of many opportunities
•Natural resources, sphere of political and economic influence, image of the EU
•Comprehensive approach: civilian and military crisis management, development and humanitarian aid,
diplomacy, trade, economic assistance, sanctions etc.
•EU aiming at conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, peacebuilding
•Capacity building
•Support of the African Union (mostly financial) – training, advising, mentoring
•African Peace Facility
•Africa as a testing ground for EU CM (along with the Balkans) – ability of the EU to intervene
independently
•Artemis in DR Congo – first military operation run by the EU only
•Instrumentalization of CM missions (esp. former colonial powers)

EU civilian crisis management operations in Africa
Mission
Country
Type of mission
Duration
EUPOL Kinshasa
DR Congo
Police
2005-2007
EUSEC RD Congo
DR Congo
Security Sector Reform
2005-2016
EUPOL RD Congo
DR Congo
Police
2007-2014
EU SSR Guinea Bissau
Guinea Bissau
Security Sector Reform
2008-2010
EUCAP Sahel Niger
Niger
Capacity Building
2012+
EUCAP Somalia
Somalia
Capacity Building
2012+
EUAVSEC South Sudan
South Sudan
Aviation Security
2012-2014
EUBAM Libya
Libya
Border Assistance
2013+
EUCAP Sahel Mali
Mali
Capacity Building
2014+
EUAM RCA
Central African Republic
Advisory
2020+

EU military crisis management operations in Africa
Mission
Country
Type of mission
Duration
Artemis
DR Congo
Military
2003
EUFOR RD CONGO
DR Congo
Military
2006
EUFOR Tchad/RCA
Tchad/Cent. African Rep.
Military
2008-2009
EU NAVFOR Somalia
Somalia
Naval
2008+
EUTM Somalia
Somalia
Training
2010+
EUTM Mali
Mali
Training
2013+
EUFOR RCA
Central African Republic
Military
2014-2015
EUMAM RCA
Central African Republic
Military Advisory
2015-2016
EUNAVFOR MED (Sophia)
Southern Central Mediterranean
Naval
2015-2020
EUTM RCA
Central African Republic
Training
2016+
EUNAVFOR MED IRINI
Mediterranean (Libya)
Naval
2020+

References
•EU. 2021. Military and civilian missions and operations
(https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/430/military-and-civilian-missions-and-o
perations_en).
•Gegout, Catherine. 2010. EU conflict management in Africa: the limits of an international actor.
In: EU Conflict Management. Ed. James Hughes. London and New York: Routledge, 125–137.
•Howorth, Jolyon. 2014. Security and Defence Policy in the European Union. Houndmills: Palgrave.
•Kempin, Ronja and Scheler, Ronja. 2016. The EU in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. In: The EU,
Strategy and Security Policy: Regional and Strategic Challenges. Eds. Laura Chappell, Jocelyn
Mawdsley, and Petar Petrov. London: Routledge, 35–50.
•Olsen, Gorm Rye. 2009. Africa. Still a secondary security challenge to the European Union. In:
European Security in a Global Context. Internal and external dynamics. Ed. Thierry Tardy. London –
New York: Routledge, 154–173.
•Olsen, Gorm Rye. 2012. Sub-Saharan Africa: a priority region for EU conflict management. In: The
European Union as a Global Conflict Manager. Eds. Richard G. Whitmann and Stefan Wolff. London and
New York: Routledge, 66–79.
•Rummel, Reinhardt. 2013. In search of a Trademark: EU Civilian Operations in Africa. In: European
Security Policy and Strategic Culture. Eds. Peter Schmidt and Benjamin Zyla. London: Routledge,
121–141.
•Ulriksen, Ståle, Gourlay, Catriona a Mace, Catriona. 2004. Operation Artemis: The Shape of Things
to Come? International Peacekeeping 11 (3), 508–525.
•