MINUSCA: 9th BATCAM returns standard to MINDEF.
The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Beti Assomo Joseph on High Instructions of the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, presided over the restitution ceremony of the standard by the 9th battalion of Cameroonian soldiers deployed under the banner of the United Nations Multidimensional Integration Stabilization Mission for the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) on October 20, 2023, at the esplanade of the Headquarters Brigade.
Speaking during the restitution ceremony of the standard by the Commander of the 9th Contingent, Colonel Garanssou Clement, Minister Beti Assomo Joseph expressed his satisfaction on behalf of the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for their professionalism and discipline during their stay in the Central African Republic. He recapped that, the soldiers have proven their worth with honour and loyalty as well as respecting the rules of engagement as prescribed the United Nations.
The Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, seized the opportunity to recall that, for the past 15 years, Cameroon has deployed over 12000 soldiers in peacekeeping missions across the world. With this effort he added that, is evident in the creation of a peacekeeping training centre in Motcheboum in the East Region of Cameroon following a presidential decree last September. The centre is aimed at training both Cameroonian soldiers and foreigners as recommended by the United Nations. To this effect, Minister Beti Assomo Joseph called on the peacekeepers to show the same sense of discipline, dedication and professionalism in the protection of the territorial integrity.
It should be noted that, since 2014, Cameroon has participated actively to put an end to the ongoing crisis in the Central African Republic under the banner of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. Thus, for a year, the blue helmets played the role of support for the transition process, facilitating humanitarian assistance, promotion and protection of human rights, support for justice and the rule of law, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.
