Mali welcomes new vehicles

6th December 2021 - 12:59 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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Some of the new armoured vehicles provided to Mali. (Photo: FAMa)

Has Mali become the first customer for the Chinese-made VN2C 6x6 armoured personnel carrier?

The Malian Armed Forces (Forces Armées Maliennes – FAMa) on 3 December announced it has taken delivery of several dozen new armoured vehicles, as it continues to battle Islamic terrorism in the country.

‘This batch of rolling stock and military equipment is equivalent to the endowment of 16 companies, or four combined arms battle groups,’ FAMa stated on its website. ‘The lot includes tactical combat vehicles, armoured vehicles, logistics trucks, [and] ambulances, among others.’

FAMa did not specify the number and type of vehicles, but Shephard Defence Insight analysis of imagery accompanying its statement suggests that among them are 4x4 tactical armoured vehicles (the Kia KM450 from South Korea, the Dongfeng EQ2050 Mengshi from China and the BRDM-2 from Russia), BTR-70 8x8 amphibious APCs from Russia and Puma M36 mine-protected vehicles.

Also pictured was what appears to be a Chinese 6x6 armoured vehicle (possibly the VN2C, making Mali the first known customer of this mine-protected export variant of the WZ551 amphibious APC).