Ghana deploys C295 transport aircraft to support UN in Mali
The Ghana Air Force deployed one of its C295 transport aircraft to support the UN military mission in Mali.
The aircraft, stationed in the Malian capital’s Bamako-Senou airfield was sent in late September 2014, according to a report by the defence publication ‘defenceweb’ out of South Africa.
On July 20, 2013, The Ghana Air Force announced that it has won a United Nations air services contract to operate an aviation unit in Mali in support of its operations.
The statement from the Public Relations Directorate of the Ghana Armed Forces said the Air Force, which won the international competitive bidding to operate the new unit, was already operating a similar service in the UN’s operation in Cote d’ Ivoire.
The aircraft is being used to fly people and cargo within the country in support of the Mission Multidimensionnelle Intégrée des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA).
The Ghana Air Force has two C295 aircraft. The country received its first C295 in November 2011 and the second in April 2012 as part of the Air Force’s modernisation drive.
During the inauguration of a new hangar at the Air Force Base in Accra in November 2014, President John Mahama announced that the Ghana Air Force will receive Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano turboprop aircraft and additional Mil Mi-17 helicopters.
Mali was hit by a coup in March 2012 following a rebellion in the north and the country was plunged into violence.
The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was established by Security Council resolution 2100 of 25 April 2013 to support political processes in that country and carry out a number of security-related tasks. The Mission was asked to support the transitional authorities of Mali in the stabilization of the country and implementation of the transitional roadmap, the UN says on its website.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi