Oye! News from Canada

Defence Department Estimates $18.6M Spent on Military Transport Plane for Mali

Category: Canada Published on Thursday, 31 January 2013 13:51 Written by Sam Dixon

The Department of National Defence has submitted an approximation of the estimated cost of lending a military transport plane to France for Mali, during a one month period, to be around $18.6 million. The estimation was submitted to the parliamentary committee on Thursday, while it was giving an official briefing of the situation in Mali and Canada's role in it so far.

Canada has promised to make available a C-17 transport for the purpose of transporting French troops and equipment into the Malian capitol, until Feb. 15, to aid in launching attacks against Islamist forces. Maj.-Gen. Jonathan Vance informed the members of foreign affairs committee of the commons that Canada has so far aided by transporting an approximate of 775,400 lbs. of armoured vehicles, medical supplies and ammunition, along with an unaccounted number of French troops, from France to Mali since Jan. 17. In addition to that support, Canada has also recently announced to provide an extra $13 million in shape of emergency food and health assistance for innumerable civilians of Mali that are stuck in crisis.

The assistant deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Kerry Buck, stated that Canada “is doing its part” in “a complex crisis with a lot of causes.” She elaborated that “across that part of Africa … over the past few years it has become a haven to foreign terrorist groups.” Vance also highlighted that military action might not ultimately solve the problems faced by Mali and the Sahel region. She pointed out that “there is a tendency to see military kinetic action as the silver bullet on the Islamic threat,” and “In fact, kinetic action does not address the root causes.”

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