Op Presence – Mali

In Suez in 1956, for the first time, formed units were deployed in an interpositional manner to keep belligerents apart, though the sheer presence – and not the capabilities of – multilateral UN forces were supposed to be enough to do the job. [...] Overall, the RCAF and the medical trades include more women than the combat arms, and the overall proportion of women in the regular force is 15 per cent, so meeting the gender target will not take special efforts. [...] And compared to the three other candidate missions in CAR, DRC and South Sudan, MINUSMA is – in relative terms – operating in an environment where there is some light at the end of the tunnel. [...] Most Malians live in the south where the state and economy still function, and there is public support for the UN presence in the north. [...] Op PRESENCE – Mali: Continuity Over Change in Canada’s “Return to Peacekeeping” in Africa Page 10 by Chris W. J. Roberts October 2018 Op PRESENCE – Mali: Continuity Over Change in Canada’s “Return to Peacekeeping” in Africa OPERATION PRESENCE – MALI: Canadian Foreign Policy and Political Aspects If Mali seemed to be the most likely choice for Canada’s “return to peacekeeping”, the more fundamental