Phnom Penh, Feb 5 (IANS) Cambodia on Wednesday dispatched new batches of 355 peacekeepers, including 86 women, to join United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations in South Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Lebanon, officials said.
Major General Sem Ratana, acting Director-General of the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces, said the blue helmets would replace the forces from the previous batches whose one-year missions had come to an end.
He said that 73 military police personnel would carry out their duties at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, 98 explosive ordnance disposal personnel at the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR, and 184 multi-role engineering staff members at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
Speaking at the send-off ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Tea Seiha said the peacekeepers would work on mine clearance and explosive ordnance disposal, road and bridge engineering, and other humanitarian activities.
“The departure of our peacekeepers for South Sudan, Central African Republic and Lebanon clearly show the UN’s confidence in our continuous contributions to promoting peace, security and stability in war-torn countries,” he said, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Southeast Asian nation first sent troops overseas on the UN peacekeeping missions in 2006. So far, the country has dispatched a total of 9,826 peacekeepers, including 857 women, to join UN peacekeeping missions in 10 countries, according to Sem Ratana.
He added that currently, the Cambodian peacekeepers have been serving in UN peacekeeping operations in four countries, namely South Sudan, Lebanon, the CAR and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Over the years, UN resident coordinators have commended the peacekeepers for their courage and dedication to serving in UN peacekeeping operations supporting global peace and security.
Cambodia, once a beneficiary of UN support and the assistance of peacekeepers, has transformed to become one of the top blue helmet contributors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In countries across the globe, UN mine-action personnel, including Cambodian deminers, have not only saved countless lives, but also transformed danger zones littered with landmines and explosive remnants of war, such as cluster munitions, into areas that now can be used for schools, hospitals and farms.
–IANS
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