Camp Castor
{{Short description|Military base in Mali}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Camp Castor
| ensign =
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| native_name = Kamp Castor
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| location = Gao International Airport
| nearest_town = Gao
| country = Mali
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| type = forward operating base
| coordinates = {{Coord|16.247222|-0.019444}}
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| pushpin_map = Mali
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| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Mali
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| operator = Bundeswehr
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| built = 2014
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}}Camp Castor is an international peacekeeping forward operating base in the town of Gao, Mali, supporting activities of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since 2014.
History
After the Netherlands contributed 380 troops to MINUSMA in April 2014, these forces began building Camp Castor to accommodate special forces and helicopters among other assets. German aircraft replaced the seven departing Dutch helicopters in early 2017, as overall command of the base also transitioned to the Bundeswehr.{{Cite news |last=Dewitz |first=Christian |date=7 July 2016 |title=Mali – Friedensmission inmitten von Terror und Kriminalität |work=Budeswehr Journal |url=http://www.bundeswehr-journal.de/2016/mali-friedensmission-inmitten-von-terror-und-kriminalitaet/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225210424/http://www.bundeswehr-journal.de/2016/mali-friedensmission-inmitten-von-terror-und-kriminalitaet/ |archive-date=25 February 2017}} Special forces from Denmark and the Czech Republic were also stationed at Castor.
Location
Camp Castor is in between the joint civilian-military MINUSMA camp Supercamp and the southeastern edge of the Gao International Airport. The French army operates a nearby base serving Operation Barkhane. At the northeast end of the airfield is Camp Firhoun Ag Alinsar, a Malian army base. Adjoined to Castor is the UK element of MINUSMA; Camp Bagnold, housing LRRG(M) with supporting elements from the Army and RAF.
Incidents
An Apache helicopter of the Dutch Army crashed in March 2015 after an attempted emergency landing near Gao.{{Cite news |date=18 Mar 2015 |title=UN pilots killed in Apache helicopter crash in Mali |work=Al Jazeera |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/3/18/un-pilots-killed-in-apache-helicopter-crash-in-mali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208072710/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/3/18/un-pilots-killed-in-apache-helicopter-crash-in-mali |archive-date=8 December 2021}}
In July 2017 a Camp Castor-based, German Eurocopter Tiger crashed at Tabankort in Bourem Cercle, killing both crewmembers.{{Cite news |date=26 July 2017 |title=German military helicopter crashes in Mali, two peacekeepers killed |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-un-crash-idUSKBN1AB23N |access-date=25 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007105340/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mali-un-crash/german-military-helicopter-crashes-in-mali-two-peacekeepers-killed-idUSKBN1AB23N |archive-date=7 October 2017}}
Media Coverage
The German Ministry of Defence published a 40-episode video series documenting the everyday lives of peacekeeping troops in Camp Castor.