Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will deploy Royal Air Force assets to provide military air cover for troops taking part in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

The Ministry of Defence assesses the threat in Mali to be unchanged from that set out in my statement to the House on 9 December 2020.

There is close air support provided by El Salvador as part of the MINUSMA force. In the unlikely event that our peacekeeping troops required this capability, it would be made available through the UN’s mission commander. The UK cannot operate its own – non-UN affiliated – close air support as the UN rules are clear on the requirement for only UN attributed force elements to contribute to a UN mission. Helicopter based medical evacuation is also available through MINUSMA. As the Long Range Reconnaissance Group develops a better understanding of the mission and the medical evacuation capability is assured, Ministers will take a view on extending the range at which it can operate. Availability of appropriate helicopter medical evacuation will be key in determining the range.