Sri Lanka’s army has announced that it will send 243 army personnel to serve in Mali under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission despite the UN suspending the use of Sri Lankan troops except for “essential” service in 2019.
This comes despite increasing concern over abuses by Sri Lanka’s military following the scathing UN High Commissioner’s report and increasing calls for a ban on deploying Sri Lankan troops for UN peacekeeping missions. In the High Commissioner’s report, she calls on the UN to “keep under review Sri Lanka’s contributions to UN peacekeeping operations and screening systems for Sri Lanka personnel”.
The deployment of Sri Lankan forces comes despite grievous human rights abuses during peacekeeping missions. In 2007, over 100 Sri Lankan peacekeepers were implicated in a child sex ring in Haiti. Sri Lankan troops were accused of exchanging food and money for sex with girls and boys as young as 12. While most of the accused were repatriated, none have been criminally prosecuted.
In condemning the UN’s agreement to deploy Sri Lanka’s forces, the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice stated on Twitter:
What message are the UN sending to victim-survivor communities when they see troops being deployed as UN peacekeepers salute a man credibly accused of responsibility for the torture and disappearances of their loved ones? https://t.co/tZw4zSAn3x
— Sri Lanka Campaign (@SLcampaign) April 12, 2021
They further added:
What message are the UN sending to victim-survivor communities when they see troops being deployed as UN peacekeepers salute a man credibly accused of responsibility for the torture and disappearances of their loved ones? https://t.co/tZw4zSAn3x
— Sri Lanka Campaign (@SLcampaign) April 12, 2021
Executive Director of the International Truth and Justice Project, Yasmin Sooka, has called on the UN to take a stand on Sri Lanka.:
"It's time for UN Peacekeeping to show the Government of Sri Lanka that there are consequences for its promotion of alleged war criminals, in line with the Secretary General's principled stance on human rights and justice in Sri Lanka," she said.
According to the Sri Lankan Army, the first group of 212 army personnel will leave on 20 April and the remaining personnel are set to depart soon. 240 troops already serving Mali will return home in two phases.
Read more here.
