On Monday, Jan.13, the Belgian Ministry of Defense gave a restricted briefing to explain and illustrate what happened to an MPPV Dingo 2 armored vehicle a Belgian ISTAR detachment operating under German command in Mali in the framework of the MINUSMA (Mission des Nations-Unies au Mali).



Maj.Gen. Johan Peeters, Chief Joint Operations Belgian Armed Forces, explains the IED incident., with an MPPV Dingo 2 and ISTAR men in the background (Picture source: Army Recognition)

Maj.Gen. Johan Peeters, Chief Joint Operations Belgian Armed Forces, assisted by Capt. (capitaine de vaisseau) Carl Gillis, chief of the Ops Division, explained what happened on Jan.1 at 10:10 (loc., 11:10 GMT). Leading a German-Belgian convoy driving back to its base in Gao, a Belgian MPPV Dingo 2 drove on a detonator that triggered an IED made of 30kg of explosive material (still under analysis to identify who made it). The complete forward part of the vehicle was ripped out, the engine being propelled some 50 meters away. In spite of this spectacular explosion, only the driver and the front passenger were lightly wounded by unfastened pieces of equipment. They owe their lives to the very strong "survivability cell" designed for this vehicle based on a Mercedes Unimog chassis (had it be an Iveco LMV "Lynx", they would certainly have been killed).

The Belgian-German convoy immediately deployed in a safety position around the destroyed vehicle and a helicopter arrived quickly on the spot to evacuate the two wounded soldiers toward a French hospital Role 2 where they were taken care of during a couple of hours before being sent back to their unit. The wreck of the Dingo 2 was recovered and brought back to its base. It is foreseen it will be shipped back to Belgium for technical and judicial investigation. A spare Dingo 2 was equipped as needed and replaced the destroyed one. After checking that all the foreseen procedures had been fully applied, the Belgian HQ gave the green light to the unit to participate again to the usual missions. The wounded (and healed) soldiers asked to remain in Mali and to carry on with their duty.

85 members of the Belgian armed forces are currently deployed in Mali in the framework of the MINUSMA: 16 in Bamako (capital city) and 69 in Gao, their operational sector going up to some 100 kilometers north of this city. The 69 soldiers belong to the ISTAR battalion (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) encompassed in the MINUSMA-MULTISENSOR component to carry on reconnaissance tasks (the ISTAR battalion is the only one in the Belgian army trained and equipped to specifically perform this job, its main vehicles being MPPVs with RWS and Pandurs).

In 2019, about 180 incidents involving IEDs occurred in Mali, of which some 20 in the Gao area. Each time a weapon or an explosive device has been used, a German WIT (Weapons Inspection Team) is sent to the place for investigation.

MPPV Dingo 2 and ISTAR men (Picture source: Army Recognition)



MPPV Dingo 2 of the Belgian ISTAR Bn destroyed by an IED south of Gao on Jan.1, 2020 (Picture source: Belgian MoD)

MPPV Dingo 2 of the Belgian ISTAR Bn destroyed by an IED south of Gao on Jan.1, 2020 (Picture source: Belgian MoD)

MPPV Dingo 2 of the Belgian ISTAR Bn destroyed by an IED south of Gao on Jan.1, 2020 (Picture source: Belgian MoD)



MPPV Dingo 2 of the Belgian ISTAR Bn destroyed by an IED south of Gao on Jan.1, 2020. The wreck was recovered and trucked to the base for investigation and to avoid leaving a "trophy" to the islamist extremist group(s) operating in the region (Picture source: Belgian MoD)



MPPV Dingo 2 of the Belgian ISTAR Bn destroyed by an IED south of Gao on Jan.1, 2020. The wreck was recovered and trucked to the base for investigation and to avoid leaving a "trophy" to the islamist extremist group(s) operating in the region (Picture source: Belgian MoD)

MPPV Dingo 2 of the Belgian ISTAR Bn destroyed by an IED south of Gao on Jan.1, 2020 (Picture source: Belgian MoD)