Last Blue Helmets Cohorts Return Home From Mali and South Sudan
Cambodian Airfield Engineering729, Explosive Ordnance Disposal828, and Mlitary Force171 arrived in Cambodia on the evening of Dec. 18 from Mali and South Sudan. Photo: Lay Long
- By Meng Seavmey
- December 19, 2023 2:05 PM
PHNOM PENH – Cambodian Airfield Engineering729, Explosive Ordnance Disposal828, and Mlitary Force171 arrived in Cambodia on the evening of Dec. 18 from Mali and South Sudan.
More than 360 blue helmets were brought back to their homeland. They are the last batch of four others assigned to return home after having completed the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and South Sudan (UNMISS).
The UN resident coordinator in Cambodia Joseph Scheuer thanked the Cambodian troops for their commitment and service.
“I can say from personal experience that this is a mission that presented you with serious challenges and moments of difficulty,” he said.
Defense Minister Tea Seiha, attended the homecoming ceremony and praised the forces for their commitment to the UN’s peacekeeping mission.
“This shows Cambodia’s efforts in strengthening and extending good relations with other countries within bilateral, regional, and global frameworks to protect peace, stability, and sustainable development,” the minister said.
According to the minister, Cambodia has dispatched more than 9,200 troops, including 726 women, to 12 UN peacekeeping missions in 10 countries since 2006.
Cambodian forces have been continuously recognized and appreciated for their contribution to the world’s peacekeeping and stability maintenance, he said.
Cambodia ranks 25th among 123 countries for troop mobilization and comes first among ASEAN member states. The country is also the 9th largest mobilizer of female soldiers in the world, according to General Sem Sovanny director-general of the National Center for Peacekeeping Forces.
