Troops from UNMIL GHANBATT 21 leave for Liberia
Two hundred and thirty-four soldiers, including 20 commissioned officers of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) GHANBATT 21 of the Ghana Armed Forces, have departed for a one-year peacekeeping mission in Liberia.
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UNMIL GHANBATT 21 under the Command of Lt Col Edward Awaribey, is the first out of three batches that departed from the Kotoka International Airport for Liberia on February 20, 2015, to take over the mantle of command from UNMIL Ghanbatt 20, which is about to end its six-month duty tour.
In a pre-peparture interview with the Daily Graphic, Lieutenant Maxwell M. Asola-Fadola of the Directorate of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces, explained that the mission was to maintain peace and security in Liberia in support of the government.
He said the situation on the ground, however, had taken a different dimension posing a threat to the lives of UN personnel and locals alike with the outbreak of the deadly Ebola Viral Disease (EVD).
Liberia is one of the three countries in West Africa worst-hit by the EVD which has claimed thousands of lives including that of UN personnel.
This, Lt. Asola-Fadola said, was not a deterrent to Ghana and her armed forces in serving under the umbrella of the United Nations.
According to him, the deployment was also in line with the oath of allegiance sworn by every soldier upon the completion of training to serve at their peril.
"It is indeed worthy to state that GAF have never recorded any casualty since the outbreak of the EVD in Liberia and Mali, where we currently have troops operating. This achievement has been made possible due to strict adherence to command policies and precautionary measures instituted in GHANBATT’s areas of responsibility," he added
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Writer's email: benjamin.glover @graphic.com.gh