As Mali Islamist insurgency heats up
By Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia
Liberia has committed to doing more to help solve Mali’s deadly Islamicist insurgency, after two more international peacekeepers – both from France – were killed by terrorists in January.
The pledge to increase Liberia’s presence in the region was made by Israel Choko Davies, one of the country’s UN representatives, shortly after the organization praised the West African republic for its dedication to the Mali mission.
No stranger to conflict itself, Liberia hosted West Africa’s first-ever peacekeeping force 30 years ago, which intervened to stop the genocidal bloodletting between Liberian dictator Samuel Doe’s government troops and Charles Taylor’s invading rebel forces.
UN Peacekeeping Official Commends Liberian Peacekeepers Serving in Mali – Describe them as trained, disciplined and fit for service UN Peacekeeping Official Commends Liberian Peacekeepers Serving in Mali – Describe them as trained, disciplined and fit for service
(New York) – The Director of the United Nations Office of Peacekeeping Strategic Partnerships (OPSP), Major General Jai Menon, has described Liberian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) as trained, disciplined, and ideally fit for service.
Major General Menon said he was greatly impressed and exceedingly proud of their skills and alertness, particularly as he carried out a tactical military drill with the Liberian troops intended to test their proficiency and vigilance in line with their scope of duty.