Egyptian peacekeepers leave for southern Sudan

CAIRO, June 21, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — Egyptian President Husni Mubarak attended this morning, 21 June, a farewell ceremony in Cairo for Egyptian peacekeeping troops travelling to Sudan for deployment in the south.

Mubarak was accompanied by the Egyptian defence minister and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Muhammad Husayn Tantawi. The ceremony was also attended by some cabinet ministers and officials.

Mubarak, accompanied by Tantawi, reviewed the line-up of Egyptian peacekeeping troops. The force is made up of a mechanical infantry detachment, a military engineering detachment, minesweeping detachment, a field hospital and transport platoon.

Egyptian Armed Forces chief of operations presented a report on the preparation of the Egyptian peacekeeping troops to be deployed in southern Sudan. He said the first stage lasted 14 months starting from February 2004 till April 2005. This stage included the preparation of these troops and providing them with equipment, and additional troops were added at the UN request, he added.

He pointed out that the force hit 1,100 personnel equipped with 860 vehicles, including armoured vehicles, water purification vehicles, electric generators, medical labs, ambulances and modern medical equipment in addition to other types of vehicles. He added that the second stage lasted two months, May and June 2005, during which UN military experts expected the Egyptian peacekeeping troops, a memorandum of understanding was signed and a vanguard force was sent to the deployment area to set arrangements and receive the troops.

The last stage started late June 2005 and it included moving the troops and deployment in southern Sudan in addition to a periodic replacement of troops in coordination with the UN, he added.

Colonel Rajai Said, commander of the Egyptian peacekeeping troops to be deployed in southern Sudan briefed Mubarak on the strength of his troops and their make-up. He said that the force was made up of 115 officers, 681 personnel of other ranks, adding that the force had complete equipment, weapons and vehicles and they were ready to fulfil their mission.

Then Mubarak delivered a speech underlining Egypt’s leading role in the UN peacekeeping missions worldwide. Mubarak said that Egypt was among the first countries that took part in these missions and it participated in a peacekeeping mission in Congo in 1960.

“Egyptian troops are participating in six UN peacekeeping operations out of 17 operations undertaken by the international organization,” he said. He indicated that Egyptian participation in the peacekeeping mission in Sudan was a “symbol of a link of a destiny and a long history of a firm Egyptian-Sudanese relation that represents a strategic dimension for Egyptian national security”.

Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service.