UN hails Gambia’s peacekeeping mission

The Gambia currently provides 98 uniformed personnel, including 31 women, to UN Peacekeeping, making it the 64th largest contributor among all UN Member States.  This contribution includes military staff officers, individual police officers and experts on mission.

The Gambia’s largest deployment is with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) where 35 peacekeepers serve. 

The Gambia also contributes to the United Nations Integrated Multidimensional Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA); the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO); the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA); and the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

In previous years, The Gambia has provided personnel to numerous UN peace operations, including in Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia & Eritrea, Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste and Yemen.

“The Gambia has been a consistent contributor of peacekeeping personnel for several decades now. In doing so it has shown solidarity with people living in countries in conflict, especially on the African continent. The UN appreciates the service and sacrifice of Gambian men and women who have served in difficult environments, and we are deeply grateful for their continued service. We will always remember the 13 Gambian peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag,” said Mr. Lacroix.

UN peacekeeping operations are a collective enterprise, an investment in global peace and security, and make a difference every day in the lives of millions of the most vulnerable. UN Peacekeeping saves countless lives and has a track record in helping bring peace and stability to many countries

The Gambia endorsed the Secretary-General’s ‘Action for Peacekeeping (A4P)’ initiative, which aims to strengthen peacekeeping through more targeted mandates, stronger and safer operations, better equipped and trained forces, and by mobilising support for political solutions.