Ukrainian peacekeepers in DRC to return home to join war
Wednesday March 09 2022
Fighters of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces, the military reserve of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stand guard on the position at Independence Square in Kyiv on March 2, 2022. PHOTO | AFP
Ukraine has asked its peacekeepers to return home and join the ongoing war against Russia.
“Such a decree President of Ukraine issued on March 7. President urges Ukrainian soldiers to withdraw from peacekeeping operations together with the equipment to strengthen the Ukrainian army standing against Russian aggression,” wrote Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Ukrainian parliament.
The United Nations has been notified of Ukraine's request.
Some 250 peacekeepers are set to withdraw from Monusco, the UN mission for the stabilisation of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the largest Ukrainian contingent in the peacekeeping missions.
The withdrawal will also include the helicopters and equipment used in the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC.
According to the UN, Ukraine also has a military presence in other peace missions around the world, including 16 troops in South Sudan, 12 in Mali, five in Cyprus, four in the disputed Sudan-South Sudan border Abyei and three in Kosovo.