… From ZAMBAKRO in Ivory Coast to BAMAKO in Mali
At the end of the 1980s, the entire international community was involved in multiple peace support operations around the world. African states are major troop contributors on the ground. Their commitment to the service of peace took on a completely new dimension in 1990 when ECOMOG was deployed in Liberia. Beyond the many successes of this mission, the need to better train African officers in the techniques of peacekeeping operations emerged.
The very first EMP in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, in 1999
1. ZAMBAKRO EMP
Born of a Franco-Ivorian partnership, the creation in 1999 of the Peacekeeping School (EMP) of Zambakro in Côte d'Ivoire was one of the responses to this need. In three years, the EMP trained 600 officers from 40 African countries. However, the Ivorian crisis of September 2002 resulted in the transfer of the school to the Republic of Mali.
However, the reception capacity of the EMP remains reduced (16 rooms available) in view of the need for training. In addition, the financial difficulties caused by the distance of this school from the capital, the high frequency of internships and the limited outreach possibilities for an international school with real and ambitious development prospects, militated in favor of the establishment of the EMP in Bamako.
The entrance to the EMP in Koulikouro
3. BAMAKO EMP
The desire to offer a structure that is perfectly complementary to the brand new “KAIPTC” training center in Accra has led to the construction of the new school. This project received strong support from the Malian civil and military authorities and the entire international community. Mali's contribution has materialized in the provision of 3,5 hectares of land located in the heart of Bamako, in the business district under construction of ACI 2000. The total cost of infrastructure, around 15 billion of FCFA is shared between France, Canada, Denmark, Switzerland, the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany, quickly joined by Argentina and Japan.
On this occasion, the EMP loses its bilateral status to become an international school of Malian law, with multilateral funding, steered by an independent Board of Directors and bringing together all the donors (see page Contributors ). This status has remained the same since March 26, 2007, the date of the inauguration of the new “Alioune Blondin Bèye” Peacekeeping School in Bamako.
Inauguration of the new EMP in Bamako, March 26, 2007
2. KOULIKORO EMP
France's determination to work for the strengthening of African peacekeeping capacities (RECAMP) and the strong responsiveness of the Malian civil and military authorities enabled the continuation of the EMP project in Mali.
Initially, the installation of the EMP takes place in the “Boubacar Sada Sy” training center in Koulikoro (CIK), 60 km northeast of Bamako. From the summer of 2003, the EMP resumes its mission in KOULIKORO, within the framework of the training - training component of the concept of strengthening African peacekeeping capacities (RECAMP).
In December 2006, 3 years after its first transfer, the KOULIKORO EMP will, since its inception in 1999, have trained 1633 officers from 40 African countries during more than 40 internships.
Alioune Blondin Beye Peacekeeping School
