In August 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau announced it will send up to 600 troops abroad for peacekeeping. Mali is a possiblity but more peacekeepers were killed there today

In August 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau announced it will send up to 600 troops abroad for peacekeeping. Mali is a possiblity but more peacekeepers were killed there today
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Peacekeepers killed in Mali: Canada still has to decide

Three killed today in a mine strike

Last year Canada’s Prime Minister promised the United Nations that Canada would contribute some 600 soldiers and 150 police officers to UN peacekeeping operations.

Where they might be sent has been up for discussion since then.

France has been quietly been seeking Canada’s help to join it in the MINUSMA (Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations unies pour la stabilisation au Mali) mission in Mali.

Peacekeepers near Kidal, Mali in 2016. At least 80 have been killed since the mission started in 2013 and where several insurgent groups operate.
Peacekeepers near Kidal, Mali in 2016. At least 80 have been killed since the mission started in 2013 and where several insurgent groups operate. © Reuters/Adama Diarra (via Radio-Canada)

The 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali has become the most dangerous in the world as Islamic militants routinely  attack U.N. convoys across the north.   At least 80 peacekeepers have died in “malicious acts” since the mission was established in 2013, according to U.N. peacekeeping  data as of the end of August.

Three peacekeepers were killed there today, and two injured when their vehicle drove over a mine in northern Mali while they were escorting a convoy.  The nationalities of the peacekeepers were not revealed in the UN statement. . One unconfirmed report however said the peacekeepers were from Bangladesh

In September Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau responded to questions about where and when Canadian peacekeepers might be sent. Quoted in the Toronto Star news he said, “Any government needs to take extremely seriously the responsibility involved in sending Canadian troops potentially into harm’s way around the world. We are going to make the right choice about how Canada can best help in engaging in international peacekeeping, and when we make that determination, we will let you know”.

Peacekeepers in the Democratic Repulbic of Congo. Canada still has to announce where it would send its peacekeepers promised to the UN in 2016.
Peacekeepers in the Democratic Repulbic of Congo. Canada still has to announce where it would send its peacekeepers promised to the UN in 2016. © UN Photo/Sylvain Liecht

A spokesman for the French embassy in Ottawa had said they’d like to see Canada join them in Mali as they know Canadian expertise, and have worked with with Canada in the past, especially as the Canadian military has many French-speaking units.

Many expect an announcement to be made at a major U.N. summit meeting in Vancouver next month.

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