Nine modernized Unibuffels, an improved version of Unicorns manufactured by Sri Lanka Army, have reached Mali and the United Nations peacekeeping missions have conducted the trials of terrain acclimatization.

In a press release published on Thursday (25), the Army said the shipping agents had unloaded 09 Unibuffels, one new recovery vehicle and 03 containers, produced by Army’s Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineer (SLEME), several days ago.

These Unibuffels were sent to Mali on the United Nations (UN) Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

On 26 June this year, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva formally handed over the SLEME-produced new fleet to the shippers for passage to the Combat Convoy Company (CCC) of the Sri Lankan UN Peace-Keepers serving in Mali, a landlocked nation affected by ethnic strifes.

At present, 243 Sri Lankan UN Peacekeepers, including 20 Officers and 223 Other Ranks, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Srinath Gallage, together with 65 vehicles are serving the Mali Combat Squadron, the Army said.

The new vehicles are expected to join the Sri Lankan UN Peacekeepers, serving in far remotes areas of the West African nation.

The new fleet would complement and further assist strengthen their existing fleet for UN security operations, the Army continued in its statement.