The Government will seek more UN peacekeeping operations after its contingent currently based in Mali is expected to pull out owing to the uncertain conditions in the African nation, a senior official of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said yesterday.
He said the Ministry of Defence along with the Foreign Office in Colombo was working towards this end.
He said the Sri Lankan contingent comprising 245 officers and other ranks were based in that country for almost two years.
MoD spokesman Colonel Nalin Herath told the Sunday Observer, “However, before we withdraw, the Government will seek reimbursement from the UN for the investment of military hardware and weapons invested by Colombo.
The Sri Lankan contingent assisted by others helped the West African Mali Government in its fight against Islamic Jihadists and other anti-Government actors who are known to be active in the region and the neighbouring borders.
Mali is currently governed by a military junta as is the same case with its immediate neighbours Burkina Farso, Niger and in the most recent case Gabon.
Sri Lanka, at present, also has 800 UN peace keepers based in Lebanon, a military field in South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, Western Sahara, Central African Republic and the Golan Heights, he said.
The UN peacekeepers currently operate in seven African nations with another two in Asia, two more in Europe and the same number in the Middle East.