Ukraine sends peacekeepers to Mali for the first time

UKRAINE SENDS PEACEKEEPERS TO MALI FOR THE FIRST TIME

Ukrainian national staff consisting of 5 people joined the United Nations multidisciplinary integrated mission related to stabilization of situation in Mali for the first time. This was reported by Deputy Director of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Head Department of military cooperation and peacekeeping operations Colonel Valentyn Levchyk, as the press office of the Ukrainian Ground Forces informs.

According to Levchyk, 61 representative of Ukrainian national staff complete tasks in missions of the UN, NATO and joint peacekeeping forces in many countries.

Particularly, this is the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Congo Republic (12 people), UN mission in Kosovo (2 people), UN mission in the Republic of South Sudan (4 people), UN temporary security forces in Abyei (6 people), UN peacekeeping forces in Cyprus (1 person); “Strong Support” NATO training mission in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (21 people), multidisciplinary integrated UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (5 people) and joint peacekeeping forces in the Republic of Moldova Transnistrian region security zone (10 military observers).

“High evaluation from the international partners has become the basis of the stable invitation of Ukraine to participate in new and existing peace missions as well as for extension of geographical location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the peacekeeping activity all over the world,” Levchyk noted.

Suicide attackers injure one French 5 Estonian troops at Mali base

SUICIDE ATTACKERS INJURE ONE FRENCH, 5 ESTONIAN TROOPS AT MALI BASE

PARIS: Suicide bombers in a vehicle painted with UN markings injured one French, several Estonian troops and two Malian civilians in an attack on an international peace-keeping base in Mali, France’s military said Tuesday. The car bomb blast at the base — which is shared between the French military, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, and Mali’s armed forces — targeted the entrance to the French part of the camp on Monday.

French military spokesman Colonel Frederic Barbry told AFP that a “suicide vehicle” was used in the attack. “Two Estonian troops and one French soldier, wounded, remain hospitalised,“ he said, adding that their conditions were not life-threatening.

Estonia’s defence ministry said five of its soldiers had suffered injuries. Two Malian civilians were also wounded in the blast, according to the French military. “Two people were in the suicide vehicle, which bore the MINUSMA colours,“ Barbry said. He added that one attacker, dressed in a uniform resembling that of the Malian army, “was neutralised by the guards after exiting the vehicle, armed and making aggressive gestures”. The other was killed in the explosion.

A Malian security source had earlier told AFP that there were at least three suicide bombers in the car, which had been painted in the colours of UN vehicles. Malian authorities have struggled to improve security since France intervened in 2013 to drive back Islamic insurgents in the north. Large swathes of the West African country remain out of the government’s control.

Around 50 Estonian troops provide protection and security patrols for the Gao camp, which is the main base for the French Operation Barkhane. A year ago, French soldiers on patrol were targeted in Gao by a car bomb attack, which left four dead and around 20 civilians wounded.

Around 4,000 French troops are deployed under Operation Barkhane alongside the MINUSMA peacekeeping force of around 15,000 soldiers and police.

United Kingdom 250 troops to send to Mali for dangerous peacekeeping mission

UNITED KINGDOM 250 TROOPS TO SEND TO MALI FOR DANGEROUS PEACEKEEPING MISSION

The UK is to send 250 troops to Mali in the biggest peacekeeping deployment since Bosnia and potentially the most dangerous mission for British forces since Afghanistan. The soldiers will form a long-range reconnaissance task group, specifically chosen for their ability to operate in small teams and in violent, contested areas of the country.

They will be asked reach parts of Mali that most militaries cannot, to feed on-the-ground intelligence back to the mission headquarters in Gao. They will arrive in the country early next year. "They will do the part of the heavy lifting. They will do the operations in very contentious areas... where we have a great deal of uncertainty. They will do operations where we face threats to us and to the civilian populations," the UN Force Commander Lieutenant General Dennis Gyllensporre explained.

Although wearing the distinctive light blue UN helmets and deployed with a peacekeeping mandate, it's privately acknowledged that they will likely be targeted by extremist groups fighting for power in one of the world's poorest and most dangerous countries.

The British deployment comes as security in Mali and the wide Sahel region has deteriorated rapidly in recent months, causing thousands of people to be displaced and a dramatic spike in deaths. A range of violent factions - some allied to al Qaeda - are vying for influence, and Islamic State in West Africa has successfully established a foothold in Mali.

Such is the concern within the British government that a Joint Sahel Task Group has been established in London to address the potential threats from what is known as the G5: Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. A regional hub has been set up in Dakar and two new British embassies will open in Niger and Chad. Close to £10m will be spent on security and humanitarian initiatives in the region this year.

Albeit relatively small, the deployment has been welcomed by the UN in New York and is being seen in the British government as one of the most significant military commitments since Afghanistan and the fight against Islamic State. Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt travelled to Mali to make the announcement in person.

She said: "In one of West Africa's poorest and most fragile regions it is right that we support some of the world's most vulnerable people and prioritise our humanitarian and security efforts in the Sahel." France, with historical links in Mali, is the biggest military force in the country with more than 4,500 troops fighting Islamist extremists. The Paris government has paid a heavy toll for the five-year commitment, losing 15 soldiers and many more injured.

Three RAF Chinook helicopters and around 100 personnel have been operating with French forces in the north of the country since 2018, in a non-combat role. The Chinooks have provided valuable heavy-lift to the mission, a capability the French don't have. That commitment was recently extended by a further six months to June 2020, viewed as a gesture of Anglo-French goodwill post-Brexit.