OTTAWA—The federal government is sending a “reconnaissance mission” to take a closer look at the United Nations peacekeeping operations in Mali.
Officials insist the fact-finding mission, a small group of diplomats, military personnel, and RCMP officers, does not mean the government has decided to send Canadian peacekeepers to the west African country.
However, Mali seems to be at the top of the list of peacekeeping missions that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could announce as early as mid-September.
The Liberal government said last week that it will make up to 600 troops available for U.N. peacekeeping operations, including specialized units and equipment such as engineers, medical personnel, and military aircraft.
Yet noticeably absent was any indication of which countries or U.N. missions the government was considering. Trudeau said the government would discuss the matter with the U.N. and other nations and decide based on where Canada could best contribute.
Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier would not provide specific details about the reconnaissance mission to Mali, citing security concerns. But he said the delegation will meet counterparts from the Malian government as well as commanders of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, or MINUSMA, as it is known.
“The purpose of this reconnaissance mission is to develop our knowledge and understanding of MINUSMA in order to provide advice to the government,” Le Bouthillier said in an email. “The overriding objective is to provide appropriate guidance and advice to the government.”
Le Bouthillier said federal departments are working with the U.N. “to best assess where we can contribute military assets.”
Aside from Mali, the government is also believed to be looking at missions in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan visited at the beginning of August.
But Walter Dorn, an expert on peacekeeping at the Royal Military College of Canada, said Sajjan’s visit to the DRC was different because it was political.
“This is more operational and planning,” he said. “Sending a recon mission to Mali is a strong indication that Canada is putting it high on a list of possible deployments.”
From The Canadian Press
