(credit:  gov.uk)   ( UK troops arriving in Mali on an RAF A400M)    The British Army have deployed a Task Force to Mali in support of Operation NEWCOMBE in order to provide specialist assistance to the United Nations mission currently ongoing there. 

By  Gary  Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The UK Government has dispatched a large-scale British peacekeeping deployment to Eastern Mali, deploying 300 troops to  help booster the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the African Sahel.  The UK  government announced Thursday that once fully established, the Task Force to Mali in support of Operation NEWCOMBE will consist of members of the Light Dragoons, Royal Anglians and support elements from across the British Army.  Their contribution towards the operation is that of a peacekeeping force that aims to engage with the local population and help to stabilise the region.  The UK Task Force will provide a highly specialised reconnaissance capability, conducting patrols to gather intelligence and engage with the local population to help the UN respond to threats from violent extremism, and weak governance.  The UN Mission in Mali is made up of over 14,000 peacekeepers from 56 different countries and works to support peace efforts, encourage security sector reform, protect civilians and promote human rights.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

“As a permanent member of the UN Security Council this deployment is a demonstration of our firm commitment to peacekeeping and the importance we place on improving security in the Sahel by protecting local communities. Our land forces are the best in the world, and we are one of a small handful of nations able to provide this specialist capability in a challenging environment which will help prevent the spread of conflict across the region”.

The main body of troops arrived on 2nd December, and all UK personnel will have arrived by 8th December to set up the UK Headquarters. They have flown from RAF Brize Norton by A400M aircraft to the UN camp in Gao. They will be based in the newly formed Camp Bagnold, which is named after Brigadier Ralph Alger Bagnold, the desert explorer and first Commanding Officer of the British Army’s “Long Range Desert Group.”

The Sahel is one of Africa’s poorest and most fragile regions. It is marked by chronic poverty, instability, high levels of gender inequality, and is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Terrorist violence and conflict is sharply on the rise. “It is in all our interests that we work together to protect civilians and help build a safer, healthier and more prosperous future for the region”, Defense Secretary Wallace added.

 UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

“This new deployment of 300 British troops to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Mali is part of our ongoing work in the Sahel region to build stability, improve the humanitarian response and help protect innocent civilians from violence. British troops will reinforce our development and diplomatic work, to maximise our impact on the ground.”

UN Mission In  Mali  Is The Deadliest In World For Peacekeepers

Les contingents du Niger et du Bangladesh lors d’une opération militaire à Ansongo. Photo MINUSMA/Marco Dormino

MINUSMA  MALI is the  deadliest peacekeeping mission in the world. Since 2013, when MINUSMA deployed,  morne than  200 peacekeepers have died in Mali, including close to  120 killed during hostilities.   The deadly violence has spiraled out of control this year, in particular, with no end in sight despite the presence of thousands of UN and international peacekeeping troops in Mali,  and across the Sahel region.

The UK is one of the largest humanitarian donors to the Sahel – in 2020 the UK gave £14.65m in humanitarian aid to Mali and is currently in the process of increasing the size of the UK embassy to reinforce our diplomatic strength in the country.

Alongside this, the MoD currently has 3 Chinook helicopters and 100 personnel in a logistics role supporting the French-led Counter-Terrorist mission, Operation BARKHANE. This is entirely separate from the UN mission, but they will be operating in the same region.