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Tag: UN peacekeepers

  • Nigeria urges safety for UN peacekeepers

    Nigeria urges safety for UN peacekeepers

    Nigeria has stressed the need to ensure that all UN peacekeepers deployed to troubled spots globally were safe in the course of discharging their duties.

    Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, stated this at the Security Council ‘Open Debate on the UN Peacekeeping Operations: their potential contributions to the overarching goal of sustaining peace’.

    “We wish to reiterate that, in view of the significant role of peacekeepers, it is imperative for all concerned to make efforts to ensure the safety of all peacekeepers,” Bande said.

    According to him, peacekeeping is one of the veritable tools at the disposal of the UN for performing one of its three critical founding objectives.

    “The doctrine of prevention in peacekeeping operations is not just about stopping conflicts from happening or from escalating; it is about continued engagement, from the early signs of conflict to the post-recovery phase.

    “Peace keeping and peace building have thus become so interwoven that they may be considered simultaneously at each conflict phase.

    “Even where there is yet no need for the deployment of force, the threat of force, as a deterrent, may dissuade parties from abandoning an existing peace process.

    “There is need to recognize that no two conflicts are the same, so a one-size-fits-all approach would always be misleading,” he said.

    The Nigerian envoy pointed out the analytical framework for a peacekeeping mandate needed to be unique to the conflict and to its environment only.

    He said an effective collaboration with regional arrangements in the drafting of peacekeeping mandates would be invaluable, considering the obvious advantages that such regional bodies have, including deeper insight on the conflict.

    The environment, the people and their culture and sensitivities, as well as the history of similar situations also play their parts, he said

    Bande also frowned at a situation where peace agreements were drafted in foreign capitals by people who did not have complete knowledge of all the factors responsible for the conflicts.

    The Nigerian ambassador said: “A critical element in Sustaining Peace is the opportunity for reconciliation.

    “Peace initiatives that allow stakeholders to freely initiate and conclude negotiations based on ‘give and take’ concessions, are most likely to attain enduring levels of compromise and stability.

    “A situation where parties are encouraged to sign peace Agreements drafted in foreign capitals, with presumed knowledge of the issues, and of solutions that are presumably suitable and acceptable to the parties, may not achieve the desired results.”

    Bande said a very important component of the Sustaining Peace agenda was the engagement of the civil society.

    “In the past, restriction of peace negotiations to armed parties have proven to be fatally flawed as those parties may have limited, short-sighted political objectives that do not lead to a sustained peace.

    “The involvement of youths, women, religious and community leaders have intrinsic value that supports peace on a continued basis,” he said.

    NAN reports that Nigeria is the world’s 14th largest troops contributing nation to UN peacekeeping operations.

    According to the latest data published by the United Nations Peacekeeping, Nigeria contributed a total of 2, 170 peacekeeping personnel in 2016.

    According to the report, Nigeria ranks eighth in Africa after Ethiopia, Burkina Faso – 3,036, Egypt – 2,889, Ghana – 2,972, Rwanda – 6,146, Senegal – 3,617 and Tanzania – 2,341.

    The report showed that as at Aug. 31, 2016, Nigeria had provided 403 policemen, 46 military experts and 1,721 troops, out of which 232 were females.

    According to the data, the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions are Ethiopia with 8,326, India with 7,471 personnel and Pakistan which contributed 7,161.

    Jamaica, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Latvia, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, contributed the least with one each.

  • France, Africans must eradicate ‘terrorists, thugs and murderers’ – Macron

    France, Africans must eradicate ‘terrorists, thugs and murderers’ – Macron

    France and its African partners must work together to wipe out Islamist militants in the volatile Sahel region, President Emmanuel Macron said at the opening of a summit in Bamako on Sunday.

    Leaders of the G5 Sahel bloc – Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad – were expected to launch a new multi-national force at the meeting aimed at combating militants and illegal activity in the vast arid zone.

    “Every day we must combat terrorists, thugs, murderers … who we must steadfastly and with determination eradicate together,” said Macron, who was making his second visit to Mali since taking office in May.

    Islamist militant groups, some with links to al Qaeda, seized control of Mali’s desert north in 2012.

    While they were driven out of major cities and towns a year later by a French-led military intervention, they continue to carry out attacks against on UN peacekeepers, Malian soldiers and civilian targets.

    The violence has spilled over into neighbouring countries in West Africa’s Sahel region and Paris has deployed thousands of French troops to combat Islamists under a cross-border operation known as Barkhane.

  • Two UN peacekeepers killed in CAR

    Two Moroccan United Nations peacekeepers in Central African Republic were killed and two others wounded by unknown attackers in the southeast of the country, the U.N. mission there said on Wednesday.

    The peacekeepers were escorting fuel trucks on Tuesday afternoon about 60 kilometres (37 miles) west of the town of Obo when they were attacked, the mission said in a statement, adding that the assailants fled into the bush.

    “No claim can justify individuals directing their grievances against peacekeepers whose presence on CAR soil is only aimed at helping the country emerge from the cycle of violence,” Reuters quoted mission head, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, as saying in the statement.

    Central African Republic descended into chaos in 2013 when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the majority Christian nation, ousting then-President Francois Bozize and sparking a backlash from Christian militias.

    The UN mission has 13,000 peacekeepers on the ground, but some civilians complain that it does not do enough to protect them against dozens of armed groups.

    Last month, UN sanctions monitors said that violence was spreading despite successful polls that elected a new government last February. Human Rights Watch said a new armed group had killed at least 50 civilians in a growing campaign to control parts of the northwest.

  • Chinese UN peacekeeper killed in escalating fighting in South Sudan

    Chinese UN peacekeeper killed in escalating fighting in South Sudan

    Casualties among UN peacekeepers including the death of a Chinese blue helmet occurred during the renewed fighting in South Sudan’s capital Juba on Sunday, a spokeswoman with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has confirmed.

    “The casualties involved one Chinese and Rwandese,” deputy spokesperson Shantel Persaud told Xinhua on Monday without disclosing the name of the victim.

    The Chinese blue helmet was killed on duty at the UNMISS Jebel base, while several other Rwandese peacekeepers were critically injured at the Tomping base near the airport, she said.

    She described the fighting on Sunday as “intensive,” and condemned the fresh violence in Juba that she said caused panic among civilians.
    The UNMISS reported some 1,000 internally displaced people fled from one of the UNMISS protection of civilians sites to its compounds in Jebel, which suffered small arms and heavy weapons fire.

    The UNMISS has run six such sites in various parts of Juba in the past two years, accommodating nearly 170,000 people seeking safety.
    The UN Security Council on Sunday issued a statement that “condemned in the strongest terms the escalation of fighting in Juba, South Sudan that started on July 7.”

    With sympathies and condolences to the families of Chinese and Rwandan peacekeepers killed or injured in the attacks, it expressed “particular shock and outrage” at the attacks on UN compounds and protection of civilians sites in Juba.

    Report says a UN peacekeeper from China was killed and six others were injured when the armoured vehicle carrying them was hit by a shell during a mission in Juba, capital of South Sudan, according to China’s Ministry of National Defence.

    The incident happened on Sunday evening local time as fighting between government and anti-government forces continued in Juba.

    South Sudan’s Health Ministry has confirmed 271 people were killed in Friday’s clashes between rival army factions outside the presidential palace in the capital Juba and there is renewed heavy fighting on Sunday.

    In a statement, the Health Ministry said those killed included 32 civilians, 5 police officers, 44 government troops and 190 soldiers of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by Vice President Riek Machar.

  • Landmine kills five UN peacekeepers in Mali

    Five United Nations peacekeepers were killed and three injured in northern Mali when their convoy hit a landmine and then came under fire from gunmen, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.

    The spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the attack on the peacekeepers, who were all from Chad, took place on Wednesday about 15 kilometres north of the town of Aguelhok, in the Kidal region.

    He said that over 70 UN soldiers had been killed in the conflict-ridden West African nation in the past three years.

    In 2012, northern Mali fell into the hands of Islamist insurgents who were pushed back after an intervention by the country’s former colonial power, France, in early 2013.

    Report says various Islamist groups still stage attacks in the area.

     

  • Landmine kills UN peacekeeper in Mali

    A report from the UN said one of its peacekeeper was killed in Mali by a landmine on Tuesday.

    The peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) said on Wednesday in Bamako that Malian capital that the mine detonated under a vehicle travelling in a convoy to Timbuktu and killed a civilian member of the mission.

    The mission said this underlined the persistent insecurity in the country four days after Islamist militants attacked a luxury hotel in the capital Bamako.

    A total of 22 people, including two gunmen died in Friday’s assault on the Radisson Blu hotel, popular with foreign visitors.

    Meanwhile, Wolfgang Neumann, Chief Executive of the Rezidor Hotel Group, which operates the Radisson Blu, said the attackers killed two Malian security guards, three staff members and another two employees were wounded.

    “The hotel will do everything to reopen as quickly as possible,” he told a news conference in Bamako.

    Jihadist group Al Mourabitoun and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said they carried out the attack in a joint operation. A third group has also claimed responsibility.

    The bloodshed underlined the difficulties a force of French troops and UN peacekeepers are having in stabilising the former French colony.

  • Countries pledge 40,000 UN peacekeepers

    Countries pledge 40,000 UN peacekeepers

    United States President, Barack Obama announced on Monday more than 50 countries have pledged some 40,000 peacekeepers for possible deployment on United Nations missions, as well as helicopters, medical units and training and equipment to deal with roadside bombs.

    Obama chaired a summit of world leaders at the UN to garner commitments to boost the capacity and capabilities of UN peacekeeping and to allow the world body to deploy forces more rapidly if a new operation is created.

    “Our goal should be to make every new peace operation more efficient and more effective than the last,” Reuters quoted Obama as saying at the forum.

    The U.S ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, said in addition to some 40,000 new troops and police, more than 50 countries had pledged to provide more than 40 helicopters, 15 military engineering companies and 10 field hospitals.

    China made one of the biggest commitments. President Xi Jinping pledged to set up a “permanent peacekeeping police squad and build a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops.”

    Amid a stream of allegations of misconduct and sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers in Central African Republic, U.S officials said the surplus troops will also allow the UN to exercise more discretion with its 16 current missions.

     

  • UN honours fallen peacekeepers

    UN honours fallen peacekeepers

    United Nations (UN) on Friday honoured peacekeepers who gave their lives for peace at battle in other countries.
    The UN during the celebration of International Day of Peacekeepers, honoured a total of 126 peacekeepers in the last year and 49 this year.
    The UN Secretary-General in his speech at the ceremony noted that ‘This is a time of danger & growth for blue helmets.
    At the ceremony, the UN specifically honoured the about 2,975 Nigerian peacekeepers who risk their lives on front-line around the world.
    Similarly, it held a Commemoration ceremony for 4 fallen Nigerian peacekeepers who lost their lives in 2014.
    The Nigerians are Lance Corporal Silas DANYAWU and Lance Corporal John JULIUS from the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and Corporal Adama IKE and Sergeant Rabiatu MUSA who both served with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

    Below are some activities of the United Nations through the social media (twitter):

  • UN to honour fallen Nigerian peacekeepers

    UN to honour fallen Nigerian peacekeepers


    The United Nations (UN) is to honour four Nigerians who lost their lives while serving as peacekeepers in Liberia and Senegal. The honour is part of activities to celebrate the ‘International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers’ on Friday, May 29, marking the seventh successive year in which the Organization will honour more than 100 ‘blue helmets’. Similarly, the 126 peacekeepers – military, police and civilian – who lost their lives in 2014 while serving with the UN as a result of hostile acts, accidents and diseases, will posthumously receive the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal. The International Day was established by the General Assembly in 2002, in tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. The Assembly designated 29 May as the Day being the date in 1948 when the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the world body’s first peacekeeping mission, began operations in Palestine. This year’s Peacekeepers Day falls during the significant 70th anniversary of the United Nations, “offering a chance to honour the Blue Helmets’ invaluable contribution to the proud history of the Organization and to reaffirm our commitment to make them even more effective in the years ahead. Thus, the theme for this year is ‘UN at 70:  Peacekeeping:  Past, Present, and Future’.” In a message to mark the Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “United Nations peacekeeping has given life to the UN Charter’s aim “to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security”. Through years of struggle and sacrifice, the iconic Blue Helmet has earned its place as a symbol of hope to millions of people living in war-ravaged lands.” “At the same time, demands far outpace resources. We need better funding, training and equipment. Our troops and police must carry out ever more complex mandates while being held to the highest standards of conduct. We need developed countries to resume their historically influential role as contributors of troops. And we need stronger political support from the Member States that are responsible for authorizing, financing and contributing troops and police to the missions,” the Secretary-General further said in his message. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said:  “We pay tribute to those courageous men and women who have lost their lives while serving on our Peacekeeping Missions. I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have paid the ultimate price. “Today, we are witnessing our largest deployment in the history of UN Peacekeeping. This is a testament of the international community’s faith in Peacekeeping as a fundamental tool in helping to peace and security”. The 2015 commemorative ceremonies will be held at a time when the demand for United Nations peacekeepers is at an all-time high. There are now more than 125,000 UN peacekeepers, including 91,000 military personnel, 13,000 police officers as well as 17,000 international civilian and national staff serving in 16 operations on four continents. Nigeria is the ninth largest contributor of military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping.  It currently deploys 2,975 military and police personnel to the UN peacekeeping operations in Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Western Sahara. The Nigerians are Lance Corporal Silas Danyawu and Lance Corporal John Julius from the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and Corporal  Adama  Ike  and  Sergeant  Rabiatu Musa who both served with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The commemorative activities in honour of the fallen heroes will be held at the UN’s Headquarters in New York, and at peacekeeping operations and offices around the world.

  • Nine U.N peacekeepers killed in Mali

    Nine United Nations peacekeepers in Mali were killed in an ambush on their convoy on Friday, the deadliest attack on the U.N mission in the country yet, a spokesman for the mission said.

    The peacekeepers, who were from Niger, came under attack from unidentified, heavily armed gunmen on motorbikes between the northeastern towns of Menaka and Ansongo, Olivier Salgado told Reuters.

    “I am horrified by this cowardly act of terrorism.  Once again, lives have been lost today in the name of peace in Mali,” Arnauld Akodjenou, deputy head of the U.N mission, known as MINUSMA, said in a statement.

    U.N peacekeepers have deployed across Mali’s north in an effort to secure the vast desert zone that was occupied by a mix of al Qaeda-linked Islamists in 2012 until the insurgents were scattered by French forces last year.

    The presence of international troops allowed Mali to hold elections last summer, but France has since redeployed some of its forces elsewhere and there has been a spike in attacks by Islamists in recent months.

    Ten Chadian peacekeepers were killed in Mali last month, prompting accusations from Chad that its troops were being neglected by the U.N mission.