Operation Mazurka is the the
Australian Defence ForceThe Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units....
's (ADF) contribution to the
Multinational Force and ObserversThe Multinational Force and Observers is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.-Background:...
(MFO), an international
peacekeepingPeacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace." It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
force, based in the
Sinai PeninsulaThe Sinai Peninsula or Sinai The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai (sina; Egyptian Arabic: سينا sina; sina'a; is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, forming a land bridge between Africa and Southwest...
, overseeing the terms of the
Israel-Egypt Peace TreatyThe 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, DC, United States, on March 26, 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords...
.
The MFO operates from two secure bases:
- North Camp, located at El Gorah
El Gorah is a locale in northeastern Sinai, in Egypt, approximately 16 kilometers from the Israeli border and 37 km south east of El Arish. The area is sparsely populated by nomads and by farmers who tend small orchards....
in the Northern Sinai, and
- South Camp, located at Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh , is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai with a population of approximately 35,000 ....
.
The Australian personnel operate predominately in North Camp.
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
was an original contributor to the MFO with a joint rotary wing squadron deployed in 1981.
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Operation Mazurka is the the
Australian Defence ForceThe Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units....
's (ADF) contribution to the
Multinational Force and ObserversThe Multinational Force and Observers is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.-Background:...
(MFO), an international
peacekeepingPeacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace." It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
force, based in the
Sinai PeninsulaThe Sinai Peninsula or Sinai The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai (sina; Egyptian Arabic: سينا sina; sina'a; is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, forming a land bridge between Africa and Southwest...
, overseeing the terms of the
Israel-Egypt Peace TreatyThe 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, DC, United States, on March 26, 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords...
.
The MFO operates from two secure bases:
- North Camp, located at El Gorah
El Gorah is a locale in northeastern Sinai, in Egypt, approximately 16 kilometers from the Israeli border and 37 km south east of El Arish. The area is sparsely populated by nomads and by farmers who tend small orchards....
in the Northern Sinai, and
- South Camp, located at Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh , is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai with a population of approximately 35,000 ....
.
The Australian personnel operate predominately in North Camp.
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
was an original contributor to the MFO with a joint rotary wing squadron deployed in 1981. In 1993, Australia returned to the MFO with an ADF contingent of 25 personnel. Since that time approximately 1,200 personnel have deployed on Operation Mazurka. The ADF contingent operates on a 6 monthly posting cycle, with a part of the contingent rotating every 3 months.
Role
The mission of the MFO is:
"...to supervise the implementation of the security provisions of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty and employ best efforts to prevent any violation of its terms."
The ADF contingent performs various staff functions in the MFO Headquarters, as well as providing the Force Regimental Signals Officer, Security Sergeants to work with the Colombian Infantry Battalion for the base security at North Camp and Operational and Training staff to the MFO.