BRUSSELS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Monday announced to extend the training mission in Mali for two years until May 18, 2020.

According to the EU's statement, the Council of the EU decided to broaden the mandate of the mission to include support for G5 Sahel joint force.

The Council also agreed to allocate a budget of 59.7 million euros (71.5 million dollars) to the mission for the two-year period.

The mission, which was established in 2013, aims to assist and train the Malian armed forces, as well as provides advice to the Malian authorities on reforming the army.

In 2014, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger set up the "G5 Sahel" group of countries to foster close cooperation in the region and tackle the major challenges that these countries face.