Fallon confirms UK support for peacekeeping mission

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has announced the UK Armed Forces will support the longstanding multinational peacekeeping mission in Egypt.

The move will involve around 100 troops from the corps of Royal Engineers providing short-term engineering support to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), a non-UN multinational peacekeeping organisation in Egypt.

The MFO was created by an agreement between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Israel to monitor the terms of the 1979 Treaty of the Peace and acts to make an important contribution to peace and stability in the region.

UK personnel will help with a range of improvement tasks to update infrastructure at the MFO main operating base in Sinai.

In a statement to Parliament, Fallon said: “This work will deliver important improvements to the physical protection of the peacekeeping base. It builds on our pledge to contribute troops to peacekeeping operations in Somalia and South Sudan and reinforces our commitment to peace and security in the region.”

The team is set to be deployed in March, with work expected to last around 12 weeks.