Andina

Peru military contingent heads to Africa on peace mission

ANDINA/Vidal Tarqui

09:35 | Lima, Jan. 5.

Admiral Jorge Moscoso Flores, Chief of the Joint Staff of the Peruvian Armed Forces on Monday led a farewell ceremony for a military contingent that will join the United Nations peace corps in the Central African Republic.

The ceremony, held on Monday afternoon at the Bolognesi Square in the Army headquarters, saw the presence of high-ranking officials of the three military institutions, among other authorities.

The act bade farewell to a contingent of the Peru Engineering Company, which will work with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic—Minusca.

The Peruvian group, comprising 205 Armed Forces members, is the first Latin American military contingent sent a African nation to perform a peacekeeping mission.

25 out of the total are already in the Central African Republic since early December, 2015 and the remaining 180 will leave tomorrow, the Defense Ministry informed.

Minusca involves participation of Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, the United States, France, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Moldavia, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, Paraguay, Czech Republic, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Yemen, Zambia, and now Peru.

(END) ASH/RMB/MVB

Published: 1/5/2016