The UK will send 250 troops to the West African nation of Mali next year as part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation, according to Britain’s Defense Ministry.
“In one of the world’s poorest and most fragile regions it is right that we support some of [the] world’s most vulnerable people and prioritize our humanitarian and security efforts in the Sahel,” Reuters quoted Defense Minister Penny Mordaunt as saying on Monday.
UK service personnel will work with partners in the region “to help promote peace by combating the threat of violent extremism and protecting human rights in Mali,” the minister added.