Peacekeeping promise fulfilled: Canada to send transport plane to Uganda

One of three promises made to the UN at a peacekeeping summit is finally being fulfilled.

So far, only one promise has been fulfilled, reports the National Post, with this being “the deployment of a unit of helicopters and military personnel to help with medical evacuations in Mali.”

The other two promises were the deployment of a 200-strong “quick reaction force,” as well as the deployment of a transport plane to alleviate some Ugandan conflict.

The promise to deploy the plane was made by Trudeau to the U.N. in 2017, as part of a longstanding campaign promise to reinvigorate Canada’s role as a global peacekeeper.

So far, many have been doubtful of Trudeau’s commitment to this promise as there has been little action towards achieving this end.

But that may change going forward.

According to Global News and The Canadian Press, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan is expected to announce, today, that Canada is finally ready to honour its commitment by deploying one CC-130 Hercules to assist with peacekeeping in Uganda.

“UN and Defence Department sources told The Canadian Press last month that an agreement was being finalized on deploying the transport plane to the UN’s logistics hub in Entebbe to help ferry supplies and troops around Africa,” reports Global News and The Canadian Press.

However, the Canadian government has been very hesitant in committing the transport plane and has asked for many restrictions on its use including “a stipulation the plane only fly in daylight and only between Entebbe and five locations that.”

This hesitancy has been criticized by the UN, as it undermines the capacity of the transport plane and, thus, the scope of how much it can aid Uganda.