The Malian Army has taken delivery of a second batch of equipment from China’s Norinco Group including WZ-551 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles and VP11 MRAPs.
A Large convoy of at least 70 trucks conveying new vehicles is being delivered to the Malian Army, the vehicles include WZ-551 and VP11 mraps. The vehicles were photographed at the port in Conakry, Guinea on 3 June.
This is part of a rather large haul of Chinese military weapons the Malian military government led by Colonel Assimi Göita recently acquired including at least 100 VP11 4×4 Lightweight MRAP, WZ-551 APCS, and Lynx CS/VP11 ATV made by Norinco, a Chinese arms manufacturer to aid in the fight against insurgency.
The largest operators of the WZ-551 armored vehicle outside of China are Sri Lanka – 190 combat vehicles, Myanmar – 76, Oman – 50 and Chad – 42. Also, these armored personnel carriers were delivered to Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Pakistan, Iran, Tanzania and other states.
The acquisition of these vehicles is a major step forward for the Malian military in their fight against the insurgency. By providing them with the latest in military technology, they will have the capability to respond more quickly and effectively to threats. This will help ensure the safety of the citizens of Mali and allow the government to better protect its citizens from the threat of insurgency.
This recent acquisition is part of a broader strategy to strengthen Mali’s military stand against the insurgents in the country following the withdrawal of French and European forces from the country.
Mali fields a diverse array of armoured vehicles, many of them donated by foreign countries to help combat terrorism in the region.
Last year, Mali’s military took into service dozens of new armoured vehicles, including Norinco VN2C 6×6 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) from China, at least six Norinco VN2C IFV, along with 50 Kia KM450 military trucks, Dongfeng EQ2050 multi-purpose wheeled vehicles, half a dozen BRDM-2 amphibious scout cars, at least a couple of BTR-70 8×8 amphibious armoured personnel carriers, and six Puma M36 APCs.