The UK is sending 250 soldiers to Mali to join the UN peacekeeping mission in 2020. Mali faces considerable political, security and governance challenges, compounded by a military coup in August 2020. This Commons Library briefing paper looks at the deployment and the situation in Mali.
Documents to download
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UK Military Assistance to Ukraine (188 KB, PDF)
UK military assistance to Ukraine is longstanding. However, in response to the crisis in Eastern Ukraine that assistance was stepped up in March 2015 with the provision of non-lethal equipment to the Ukrainian armed forces and the deployment of a 75-strong UK military training team to the country.
The decision to deploy a team of military advisers to Ukraine has been interpreted by some as the UK government putting ‘boots on the ground’, in breach of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. However, these personnel are not combat troops, they are not deployed in Eastern Ukraine and they are being provided in response to a request from the Ukrainian government.
To date, the Government has ruled out providing lethal arms to Ukraine. Other European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, have openly opposed arming Ukraine. In contrast the US administration remains open to the possibility of providing Ukraine with lethal weapons if “diplomacy fails to end the crisis”.
Documents to download
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UK Military Assistance to Ukraine (188 KB, PDF)
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The Government presented the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill on 18 March 2020, thereby meeting its 100-day self imposed deadline. Second Reading has been scheduled for 23 September 2020. Aspects of the Bill are already generating controversy.
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The government has announced it will not proceed with plans to introduce a new combat compensation scheme for armed forces personnel and veterans. This paper briefly explains the original proposals, concerns raised and the government's announcement.
