The newly established European Mission EUMPM-Niger (EU Military Partnership Mission in Niger) is a military partnership mission that aims to help strengthen the military capability of the Nigerien Armed Forces to support the fight against terrorist groups and protect the population by ensuring a safe and secure environment. EUMPM Niger will notably support the establishment of a Center for Training of Armed Forces Technicians, provide expert advice and training upon request to specialists of the Armed Forces of Niger and support the establishment of a new Communications and Operations Support Battalion command (which will be stationed in the city of Téra in the southwest of the country), providing training and mentoring to its units, its specialists and its chain of command.
By decision of Political and Security Committee of 14 March, the appointment of the mission commander was formalised. This is an officer of the Italian army, the Colonel sapper paratrooper Antonio D'Agostino who officially took office on 1 March.
Born in 71, a civil engineering graduate, he has held important national and international positions, with missions in Macedonia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. After completing the General Staff and Multi-thematic Course of the Army, he is assigned to the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Italy; it is later assigned to NATO Bi-Strategic Partnership Division, SHAPE – Belgium.
In 2017 he held the position of executive officers of RS DCOS Support in Kabul. From September 2018, for one year, he commanded the 8th "Folgore" paratrooper engineer regiment based in Legnago (V) and subsequently the 3rd Udine engineer regiment.
The mission established by the EU Council resolutions of 12 December 2022 and 20 February 2023, is divided into several phases. For the first phase, about a dozen people are expected to be stationed in the country. Additionally, there would be mobile training teams that would only come to the country for temporary training periods. In the second phase, the permanent on-site staff will grow to around 120 people.
The security situation in the Sahel region has further deteriorated despite significant international support. Terrorist groups are active in large parts of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The capabilities of the Nigerien Armed Forces need to be enhanced to enable them to autonomously contain the terrorist threat.
