Parliament approves Romania's joining France-led Takuba Task Force mission in Sahel

The Romanian Parliament on Wednesday passed a draft decision on the Romanian armed forces providing troops and equipment for the Takuba Task Force mission in the Sahel under French command from the fourth quarter of the year 2021.

The draft passed 346 to two and two abstentions.

Meeting in a joint session on June 15, Parliament's defence committees issued a favourable report after analysing the letter from the President of Romania on the matter.

According to the report, unveiled to a joint plenary sitting of Parliament by Chairman of the Defence Committee of the Chamber of Deputies Constantin Sovaiala, the Romanian armed forces providing troops and equipment for the Takuba Takuba mission in the Sahel under French command is hereby approved in the form of 50 troops as from Q4 2021. Funding the preparation and conduct of this mission is provided from the 2021 budget of the Ministry of National Defence.

"The Romanian armed forces joining the Takuba Task Force will contribute to maintaining their operational profile and will bring increased international visibility to the country, along with important quantifiable political and politico-military benefits in relation to France," reads the report unanimously approved by the two committees.

In March 2020, a group of 13 countries announced the creation of the Takuba Task Force to combat terrorist groups in the Liptako region, at the common borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.