PHNOM PENH, Feb 3 (NNN-AKP) – Cambodia dispatched the 12th batch of 184 peacekeepers, including 29 women, to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, yesterday.
The military engineer corps will replace the 11th batch, whose one-year term has come to an end, Gen. Sem Sovanny, director-general of the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces, said, during a sending-off ceremony at Phnom Penh international airport.
“It’s another pride for our nation and our peacekeepers, and again, it shows Cambodia’s active contributions to maintaining peace in war-torn countries,” he said.
Sovanny advised the peacekeepers, to strictly abide by the UN rules and disciplines, the Royal Cambodian Army’s code of ethics, and the host country’s laws.
They all have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and have tested negative for the disease before their departure, he said.
The peacekeepers will work on landmine clearance and construction of roads, bridges, shelters and pumping wells, he added.
The nation first sent troops overseas, on the UN peacekeeping mission, in 2006. To date, the country has dispatched a total of about 8,000 peacekeepers, to join UN peacekeeping missions in Sudan, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad, Syria, Lebanon and Mali.
