Belgium to support French army in Central African Republic with military transport aircraft C-130 16

Belgium to support French Army in Central African Republic

Monday, December 16, 2013 10:45 AM

Belgium to support French army in Central African Republic with military transport aircraft C-130.

Belgian Ministry of Defense has announced that it would provide air support with C-130 transport aircraft to the French army for the military operation Sangaris in Central African Republic (CAR). Poland, Britain, Germany, Spain and Belgium are already helping with logistics, he said, and two countries are "currently considering" sending troops to back up the 1,600 soldiers there.

Belgium will provide tactical airlift to French Army in Central african Republic with C-130 military transport aircraft.

For strategic airlift in the period between late December 2013 and late January 2014, four A-330 flights of the Belgian Army will be used to transport equipment and soldiers from France to the CAR capital Bangui and neighbouring countries.

Under the tactical airlift for an initial period of two months from the end of January 2014, a C-130 of the Belgian Army will fly between the Gabonese capital Libreville and Bangui, assume transport in the CAR from Bangui and transport equipment and soldiers, French and African, between African capitals.

A detachment of 35 Belgian soldiers will embark on this mission, which may be extended by one month.

Belgium is actively engaged in military operations in Africa. It gave air support to France and Britain in Libya, to France in Mali, and to the UN in the Democratic Repuplic of Congo.

France will ask its European Union partners to do more to help its intervention in the strife-torn Central African Republic, Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius said on Sunday ahead of a meeting in Brussels on Monday.

French President Francois Hollande has already pledged that he will ask for more European back-up at a summit on Thursday and Friday.