UN cuts troops in Sierra Leone
2005-10-05 09:08
Freetown - Once the largest peacekeeping operation in the world with 17 000 personnel, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) is down to 2 000 troops and counting, the force's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
"These in the main are Nigerians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis and the Russian Aviation Unit in addition to the Jordanian medical team," said Daniel Adekera.
"The drawdown is on course and all Ghanaian soldiers left for home at the weekend. Key figures such as Force Commander General Sajjad Akram (of Pakistan) and Civil Police Commissioner Hudson Benzu (from Zambia) have also gone," he said.
"More contingents will be withdrawing gradually in October and November and after December 20 no UN soldier will be in Sierra Leone," the official added.
The UN Security Council gave UNAMSIL a final six-month extension to its mandate in June, deeming conditions in the country ravaged by a decade of civil war to have improved considerably.
The UN will however maintain a strong presence in Sierra Leone after the military withdrawal, in the form of an Integrated Office responsible for peacebuilding.
- SAPA