Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Irish Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed in two separate missions in Mali. The Government has approved the continued provision of up to 20 members of the Permanent Defence Force for service with the EU mission to train the Malian armed forces in Mali, known as EUTM Mali, or the EU training mission, up to 22 March 2022. In addition, the Government has approved the continued provision of up to 14 Defence Forces personnel, drawn primarily from the Army Ranger Wing, to participate in MINUSMA, the United Nations-led operation in Mali, up until 30 September 2022.

With regard to EUTM Mali, Ireland has participated in this training mission since its launch in 2013. I visited it when I was previously Minister for Defence. Defence Forces personnel are primarily deployed at Koulikoro and Bamako, and also deploy as part of combined mobile advisory training teams across Mali. These mobile teams travel to the various regions for defined periods of time to provide additional training to Malian soldiers through specialised courses and tactical training. The roll-out of decentralised training is a key component of enhancing the utility of the Malian armed forces.

Defence Forces personnel first deployed to MINUSMA in September 2019 as part of a joint deployment with German armed forces. Irish personnel continue to be deployed with the German armed forces at Camp Castor in Gao and at MINUSMA headquarters in Bamako, where they carry out assigned tasks in accordance with the mission mandate. The Army Ranger Wing team carries out surveillance and intelligence gathering operations as part of its remit. Irish personnel in Gao are embedded with the larger German intelligence surveillance reconnaissance company and benefit from the security and force protection effort that is in place to protect the full company. The security situation is continually monitored by the Defence Forces on an ongoing basis.

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