Canada's mission in Mali

摘要

In Mali, the environment is not your friend. That's true for many people in this West African nation, which encompasses vast swathes of the brutally hot Sahara Desert and semi-arid Sahel region. But it's especially true if your task is to operate aircraft on complex missions at a moment's notice. Such is the case for approximately 250 members of the Canadian Forces who are currently in Gao, Mali, to provide a forward aeromedical evacuation capability to the United Nations. Since the 2013 establishment of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) - with the aim of preserving peace in the country after the previous year's Tuareg rebellion - the UN has recorded more than 175 fatalities, making it the organisation's most dangerous peacekeeping assignment. Yet even with militant Islamist groups continuing to stoke tensions in Mali, the environment itself poses as much of a threat to aircrews as insurgents on the ground. First there is the heat, which is relentless and suffocating. Temperatures of 45°C (113℉) or higher are routine, taxing aircraft performance and pushing avionics to their operating limits. The heat is oppressive under any circumstances, but for aircrew going about their duties in full Nomex and body armour, it is infernal. There are special risks for maintainers, as fluids and metal parts can remain near their operating temperatures hours after a flight. According to Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) avionics systems technician Cpl James Hope: "Some of us have already gotten burns on aircraft that have been shut down for three or four hours."