Pak peacekeepers role in Liberia laudable: UN
new york — With the United Nations set to close its “successful” peacekeeping mission in Liberia by the end of next month, the remaining unit of the Pakistani contingent — a well-equipped hospital — is now winding up its operations after serving the people of the West African country for some 15 years.
The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was deployed in 2003 to monitor a ceasefire agreement following the conclusion of a brutal civil war. At its peak it consisted of up to 15,000 UN military personnel and 1,115 police officers, along with a civilian component, from at least 10 troop contributing countries.
Over the years, Pakistan, as UNMIL’s backbone, provided infantry battalions, a signal company, engineering companies, military observers, police officers as well as the Level-II hospital. From 2005 to 2013, Pakistan contributed more than 2,000 peacekeepers to UNMIL per annum. The bulk of the Pakistani troops returned home in 2015, with the medical unit remaining behind.
“We really have to acknowledge the significant contribution made by Pakistan to the peace process in Liberia,” Waldemar Vrey, UNMIL’s deputy special representative, said in an interview during which he commended the professionalism and sense of dedication of Pakistani personnel.
“They have been with us from the beginning of the mission, particularly in the first difficult days of the mission,” he said.
“And we have to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of the Pakistani peacekeepers and remember that 23 of them lost their lives serving under the UN flag in Liberia.”
The Pakistani peacekeepers, Vrey said, played a crucial role in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and in disarming of more than 100,000 former combatants during the first years of the mission.
“Pakistani Military Hospital has been providing a very professional service to us. They helped us deal with a lot of tropical diseases, particularly malaria, and spare a thought for their contribution during the dreadful period of Ebola epidemic as well. — APP