Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how long they expect members of the British Armed Forces to remain in Mali.

The UK has forces in Mali deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission, MINUSMA, and the French-led counter-terror operation, Operation BARKHANE. Beyond these operations, the UK also has a small Defence Section based in Bamako with a resident Defence Attaché (DA).

As outlined in the recent Written Ministerial Statement HCWS622, the UK has committed to a three-year deployment to MINUSMA, with a review to be held at the 18-month point.

The UK commitment to Operation BARKHANE was last extended in June 2020. The Government keeps this deployment under review on a continual basis to ensure it supports operations in the most effective way possible.

The UK's resident DA, based in British Embassy Bamako, is in post for a two-year assignment. DA posts are reviewed on an annual basis.