Government to deploy C-130 transport aircraft in Mali
Today the government issued a final decision on the deployment of a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft (including crew and support personnel) to Mali next month. The deployment, which is under the aegis of the UN MINUSMA mission, will last six months.
Late last year the government announced that it planned to support the UN mission in Mali with critical and scarce air transport capabilities. These capabilities will contribute to the UN’s objectives for improving security and stability in Mali, which is currently a breeding ground for violent extremism. With today’s decision the UN will have another aircraft at its disposal for the next six months. The Ministry of Defence will provide the C-130 from the second half of November 2021 to 15 May 2022. This was confirmed in a letter to the House of Representatives from Minister of Foreign Affairs Ben Knapen, Minister of Defence Henk Kamp and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Tom de Bruijn.
In addition to the Hercules, the mission will also include around 90 air force personnel. They will operate from Bamako and be deployable throughout the country. The most important goal will be transporting people and cargo. If necessary, the aircraft can also airdrop personnel and cargo, and be used for evacuations.
Rotating roster
Norway is in charge of coordinating air transport capabilities for MINUSMA, working together with Denmark and Portugal in a rotating roster. As of next month the Netherlands will be part of this roster.