Takuba Task Force: Norway will not send troops to Mali for the time being

Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB

Norway will not contribute soldiers to the Takuba force in Mali, for the time being, Minister of Defense Odd Roger Enoksen (SP) stated on Tuesday.

In July last year, the previous government decided to contribute a small number of soldiers and officers to the French-led Takuba force in Mali.

The force is building capacity to strengthen the country’s government army in the fight against militant Islamists.

The decision was made despite the fact that Mali experienced its second military coup in less than a year a few weeks earlier and that the country has since been ruled by a military junta led by 38-year-old Colonel Assimi Goïta.

Norway has since negotiated with the military junta but without reaching an agreement on the deployment of the contribution to the force.

“It was not possible to achieve a sufficient legal framework with Mali that would ensure the safety of our soldiers,” Enoksen stated in the Norwegian parliament (Storting) on Tuesday.

“For now, it is not relevant to send Norwegian forces to Takuba,” Enoksen said.

Source : © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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