BRUSSELS, (KUNA) -- The European Union's (EU) Foreign Affairs Council approved on Monday financial assistance worth 25 million euro (USD 24.7 million) to the benefit of the armed forces in Niger.
'The objective of this assistance measure is to strengthen the capabilities and resilience of the Nigerien Armed Forces in order to enable them to defend the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the country and to better protect the civilian population against the mounting terrorist threat,' said the Council in a statement.
Niger plays a major role in initiatives aimed at strengthening peace and development in the Sahel, including the EU's Integrated Strategy in the Sahel, the Sahel Coalition and the Partnership for Security and Stability in the Sahel as well as the Sahel Alliance, it said.
The agreed EU assistance will finance the establishment of an Armed Forces Technician Training Centre to increase the capacities of the Nigerien Armed Forces in the area of logistics support; and the construction of a forward operating base to reduce the vulnerability of the Armed Forces in the Tillaberi region, it noted.
The duration of the Assistance Measure will be 36 months. (KUNA)
