Irish troops in Mali 'unaffected' by decision to suspend rotation of peacekeepers
The Defence Forces said Mali's decision to suspend rotations of peacekeepers 'is unlikely to have any short-term effects on Defence Forces personnel serving with the Minusma mission'. File picture: Defence Forces/PA
Irish troops serving in Mali are “unlikely” to be affected in the short term by the decision of the government there to suspend the rotation of peacekeeping forces in the volatile west African state.
The move by Malian authorities has further heightened tensions with the UN and comes against the backdrop of a violent security situation in the country.
It follows the detention of 49 soldiers from Ivory Coast which Malian officials said had arrived in the country without permission.
The Irish Defence Forces has 14 soldiers, members of the Army Ranger Wing (ARW), in the UN peacekeeping mission Minusma. A separate contingent of 20 troops serves in the EU training mission EUTM Mali.
“The decision of the Malian authorities to temporarily suspend rotations pending discussions with Minusma is unlikely to have any short-term effects on Defence Forces personnel serving with the Minusma mission," said a Defence Forces statement.
“Currently, Irish Defence Forces personnel are not due to rotate out of the country until late September 2022. Civilian flights have so far not been affected and this temporary suspension is currently limited to troop contributing countries rotations only.”
The 14 ARW members are based in the capital, Bamako, in the south of the country, and Gao, which is in the north. The EU contingent is located in Bamako and Koulikoro (training camp), in the south.
The ARW contributes a field human intelligence team. It first deployed to Minusma in September 2019 for a period of two years, which was subsequently extended by one year.
The Defence Forces has already said that its contribution to the UN mission will end this September.
In June 2021, the ARW escaped a bomb attack on an overnight camp north of Gao, which left 14 German and one Belgian soldier injured. The ranger unit was out on an operation, away from the camp, at the time.
