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Romania's mission with the United Nations Organisation (UN), under which our country contributed to the international peace-keeping efforts as part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, has officially come to an end on Thursday, according to a press release of the Ministry of National Defence (MApN), according to AGERPRES.
MApN brings to mind that, over October 2019-October 2020, during the two rotations, the "Carpathian Pumas" battalion made of troops and IAR-330 Puma L-RM helicopters belonging to the Romanian Air Forces carried out the operational missions requested by the UN, which meant more than 350 combat missions, 18 of which were aeromedical evacuation missions (in support of more than 40 patients), approximately 200 recognition/research missions and air patrol missions, 100 transport missions, with two fast relocations carried out with the support of the UN operations in other sectors, in Mopti and Kidal.
In the past year, the Romanian IAR-330 Puma L-RM helicopters recorded approximately 1,250 hours of flying in the Sub-Saharan area, 200 of which were conducted during nighttime, as this detachment had to cover an area comparable in size with the entire Romanian territory.
Moreover, the Romanian troops periodically carried such training activities of support of the multinational contingents in their area of deployment, especially Advanced Air Medical Services training exercises and Quick Reaction drills (embarkation/disembarkation, emergency evacuation procedures, knowing the transport configuration).
The commander of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, Lieutenant-General Dennis Gyllensporre has recently said that the Romanian troops really made a difference as part of this mission, " with the helicopters representing their essential capability," and that they successfully replaced the Canadian troops.
Romania supported the UN in assisting the Government of the Republic of Mali to continue to implement the Peace Agreement, ensure civil protection and prevent the hostile armed groups of the Peace Agreement from returning to the inhabited areas. The Romanian detachment, made of approximately 120 troops and four helicopters/per rotation, carried out medical evacuation missions MEDEVAC/CASEVAC, transported troops and materials, transported passengers, conducted air patrol mission and surveillance missions.
