The return of the last Swedish soldier from Mali

Vasteras Airport, just after sunrise. Civilian charter aircraft enter the airport terminal and shut down the engines. About 40 passengers emerge – the last Swedish soldier of the Malian force. With fan guards, the deputy commander of the army greets each soldier. After making sure that the cabin is clear, the unit commander descends the aircraft ladder last.

– The decluttering process is special, as it all boils down to getting everything and everyone in the house in the right order. It exceeded expectations and ahead of schedule, thanks in large part to the very competent staff. Now it’s good to be home. And that all of us who have been to Mali have returned home, says Martin Johansson.

Logistics soldier Emile Hollande agrees.
– It would be nice to be free now and be able to see family and friends. And then you wait for the job again, it will be interesting to see how we work towards stronger national defense and future membership in NATO, he says.

An era is over

Suez and Cyprus. Congo, Kosovo, Lebanon and Liberia. Afghanistan and the Gulf of Aden. To name but a few are the international force operations in which the Swedish Armed Forces have participated since 1956. Now the Swedish Armed Forces have fewer than 30 observers on international duty.

– There are no planned international deployments of troops, but as before, the Swedish Armed Forces are ready to create such, if political decisions are made, says Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army Anders Svensson.

The government decided that the mission in Mali would end in March 2022. Since then, the completion of the Swedish mission has been ongoing. Now there are no more Swedish soldiers in the country, and the last unprotectable items are on their way out of there, via UN provision.

– With Mali, the continuous series of operations of the international forces ends, so today is a historic day. Thank you to all of you who have served in Mali and elsewhere in the armed forces, says Anders Svensson.