Kelowna Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr got a first-hand view of the work Canada is doing to bring stability to Mali.
Fuhr was part of the Canadian governmentsa国际传媒檚 defence committee visit to the west African country as part of Operation PRESENCEsa国际传媒擬ali, Canadasa国际传媒檚 effort to help set conditions for peace and development in Mali.
Fuhr, a 20-year military veteran, said he was happy with what he saw of the the operation during his 10 days in the area, where food, water, unemployment and issues of inequality have been reported.
sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 18 million people in Mali, and itsa国际传媒檚 in a fragile state,sa国际传媒� said Fuhr.
sa国际传媒淐anada is there supporting the community and stabilizing the region. (Our troops) set the bar very high, and everyone we talked to was happy that the Canadians were there.sa国际传媒�
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The Canadian operation is in support of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which has been a combined effort by troops from Germany, Canada, Romania, and others to stabilize the area.
Just last week three UN peacekeepers were killed in the area of Siby, near the capital, Bamako.
The UN reports that, MINUSMA is the deadliest mission to serve in as a UN sa国际传媒榖lue helmet.sa国际传媒�
More than 180 have died, since it was established in 2013. In 2019 alone, the number of fatalities stands at 15.
Canadian Forces have provided medical evacuations, helping more UN forces through the area, and has helped save lives with the delivery of blood products, something Fuhr said Canada is the first to be able to do.
His committeesa国际传媒檚 mission was to learn from the ongoing operation and report back in order to work towards an administrative analysis on the countrysa国际传媒檚 response to the global conflict resolution.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檒l make recommendations to the government of Canada on what we can do better, or differently in the area,sa国际传媒� said Fuhr.
Part of the committeesa国际传媒檚 report will detail the best, and safest, ways for the transition of Canadian troops out of the area, so Romaniasa国际传媒檚 forces can replace the Canadians in the best possible way.
Canadasa国际传媒檚 expected to pull out of the area in July, said Fuhr.
sa国际传媒淐anada is there for a humanitarian and compassion problem, and it is dangerous. But the (Canadian Armed) Forces are experts at mitigating risks,sa国际传媒� he added.
sa国际传媒淐anada has the ability to help, and thatsa国际传媒檚 what we do. Itsa国际传媒檚 something we can be very proud of.sa国际传媒�
Mali is the eighth largest country in Africa and one of the poorest in the world.
It was destabilized after al-Qaeda-linked fighters took control of the northern areas of the country in early 2012.
France intervened, militarily, but Central Mali remains unstable owing to a resurgence of violence between ethnic groups, notably Fulani nomadic herders and Dogon farmers over access to land.
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