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Sweden plans to send troops, helicopters to Mali

Monday, 16 March 2020 11:22 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 16 March 2020 11:22 AM ]

This file photo shows a French soldier manning a machine gun in the door of a NH 90 Caiman military helicopter, over Ndaki, in Mali, on July 29, 2019. (By Reuters)

The Swedish government says it is planning to send troops and helicopters to Mali to join a French-led mission purportedly fighting militants in the West African country.

The government said in a statement on Monday that Sweden would send up to 150 troops and helicopters to Mali.

“That… will make it easier to carry out development activities in Mali which are needed to promote a sustainable and peaceful development in the country,” Foreign Minister Ann Linde claimed.

“The decision will also mean we can contribute to the fight against international terrorism and ultimately also make Sweden safer and more secure,” she added.

The decision requires approval by parliament.

Mali has suffered violence since 2012, when militants and allied Tuareg rebels took over the country’s north.

The French military then intervened militarily. Sweden also sent troops to Mali back in 2013, as part of the United Nations (UN)’s Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission.

Violence continues nonetheless, with the militants — linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh — using northern Mali to launch attacks on other countries in the region.

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