U.N. says Cambodian troops to aid in Chad

N'DJAMENA, Chad, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The United Nations said Thursday 42 Cambodian troops have arrived in Chad to provide security and humanitarian help there and in the Central African Republic.

The United Nations said in a release that in addition to facilitating humanitarian aid in the African countries, the Cambodian troops will help protect civilians and help in the relocation of U.N. personnel and logistic assets.

The eastern portion of Chad is serving as a refuge for 160,000 displaced Chad residents and nearly 250,000 refugees from the Sudan's Darfur region.

A number of refugees also fled armed conflict in Darfur in the northern part of the Central African Republic.

The United Nations has been helping the refugees since 2005.

The international organization said equipment difficulties encountered by some participating countries have left the U.N. mission operating at 53 percent of its authorized strength, or 2,750 troops.

Cambodia To Send Peacekeepers to Chad

By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
05 October 2009

The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces will send 40 peacekeepers to the central African country of Chad for a one-year tour of duty, starting this month or November, a senior military official told VOA Khmer.

The peacekeeping tour coincides with Cambodian plans to hold a multi-national peacekeeping exercise, with US support, next year.

“We don’t know the specific day of their departure yet, because we are now processing their plane tickets, but they will leave soon,” Chhum Socheat, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said. “Now we are dealing with the finances, because it’s the UN’s budget.”

Cambodia has sent deminers to Sudan four times so far, totaling 495 soldiers, since signing an agreement with the UN in 2006, he said.

“We have shown the capacity of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces,” he said. “So far, Cambodia suffered domestic war and civil war, from 1970 to 1998, and we completely ended the war and ended the Khmer Rouge insurgency.”

The UN provided training in peacekeeping and mine clearance. “In 2006, we transformed from a country that was a landmine victim to a country that helps other countries clear landmines,” he said.

Cpt. Ek Veasna, who served in Division 315 in Sudan in 2008 and 2009, said the soldiers were well supported by the Sudanese and the international community.

“Our Cambodian military there was always committed to work for the best, even during rain or lightning,” he said. “Our soldiers always struggle for success to clear landmines for the people.”

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said he was happy for the deployments, which provide a good salary for soldiers and their families.

The first 40 soldiers will be followed by another 80 for mine clearance.

Cambodia to send 42 peacekeeping forces to Central African Republic and Chad: officials

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia will dispatch 42 peacekeeping forces to Central African Republic and Chad under the peacekeeping mission of the United Nations, the local media said on Sunday.

"Our forces will depart for these countries in November after Prime Minister agreed to send our soldiers," DAP News quoted Nhim Savat, director general for general department of politics and international relations of Ministry of National Defense, as saying.

"And in earlier mid-2010, we will send other 80 armed forces of light engineering Unit for the two countries under the U.N. peacekeeping mission," he added.

Cambodia and the U.N. have already signed on MOU of deploying the peacekeeping armed forces in Chad and Central African Republic," he said.

"The UN side will not send their monitors to train our armed forces for this time after they have confidence in the abilities and capacities of forces training and our experiences in previous times," said Sem Sovanny, director general of the national center for peacekeeping forces management, mine clearance, unexploded ordnance waste of post war.

"Five senior military officials from National Defense Ministry will also accompany our Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) to these countries," Sem said.

Cambodia is used to take part in joint military exercises in several countries, such as Indonesia, Mongolia, Bangladesh, and also Sudan's de-mining activities under the U.N. peacekeeping mission.

Cambodia will also host the military exercise which is to be supported by the United States under a program titled "Global Peace Operations Initiative or GPOI" which will take place in June or July in 2010.

Cambodia picks up 138 troops for UN missions in Chad, Central Africa

PHNOM PENH, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia here on Tuesday declared the list of 138 troops, who will undertake UN peacekeeping missions in Chad and Central Africa, but their departure date has not been set yet.

The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) held a ceremony at the headquarters of its special armed forces in the outskirts of Phnom Penh to highlight the honor.

In late March, Prime Minister Hun Sen told a university graduation ceremony that Cambodia will send its soldiers as UN peace keepers to these two countries according to the request of the UN Secretary General.

"We already sent three groups of soldiers for mine clearance in Sudan under the UN peacekeeping umbrella," he said.

In 2006, Cambodia sent 135 deminers to Sudan for UN peacekeeping mission, and then 139 in June 2007 to replace the old ones. The deminers were renewed again in 2008.

Hun Sen To Send Soldiers To Africa [... because Cambodia is tronger than Iraq and Afghanistan?]

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 March 2009

“Why is Cambodia prepared to send troops to Chad, why do the United Nations and Francophones need Cambodia’s help, if Cambodia is weaker than Iraq and Afghanistan?” - Hun Sen

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday Cambodia will send a group of soldiers to Africa for UN peacekeeping missions.

“We will send our soldiers to Chad and central Africa, following a request by the UN secretary-general and the Francophone secretary-general,” Hun Sen said during a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia has sent soldiers to help with demining operations in Sudan on three annual rotations since 2006. But Hun Sen said they could do more.

“I just decided last week to send the troops to Chad and central Africa,” Hun Sen said, without specifying dates or numbers of soldiers to be sent. “I have decided to send our troops to two more nations, after our soldiers were in Sudan.”

The announcement follows a report last week by the Economist Intelligence Unit warning that Cambodia’s political stability was at risk from the worsening global economic crisis. The Intelligence Unit warned that Cambodia was more likely to face political instability than Chad, as well as two other African countries.

“If Cambodia has similar political stability to Chad and is worse than Iraq and Afghanistan, the United Nations would not request Cambodia to send our troops to Chad and central Africa,” Hun Sen said. “Why is Cambodia prepared to send troops to Chad, why do the United Nations and Francophones need Cambodia’s help, if Cambodia is weaker than Iraq and Afghanistan?”

Cambodia to send troops to 2 African nations [-Does Cambodia have enough troops to protect its own borders?]

Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia will contribute troops to U.N. peacekeeping forces in Chad and the Central African Republic, marking the poor Southeast Asian country's second military mission abroad in three years, the prime minister said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Hun Sen did not specify the number of Cambodian troops or when they would depart.

He said he decided "two weeks ago to send our forces to Chad and the Central African Republic" based on a request from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He made the comments while presiding over a university graduation ceremony in the capital, Phnom Penh.

The United Nations recently took over peacekeeping duties in the two African countries from the European Union.

Eastern Chad and northeastern Central African Republic have been seriously affected by fighting across the border in Sudan's Darfur region, where up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million have been driven from their homes since 2003.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the Cambodian contingent would consist of noncombat forces and would perform only humanitarian duties. He said it was too soon to say how many troops would go and when.

In April 2006, Cambodia sent 135 soldiers to help U.N. peacekeepers clear mines in war-torn Sudan.

That same year, Hun Sen rejected U.S. requests for the deployment of Cambodian troops in Iraq. He said he questioned the overall legitimacy of the war in Iraq and that it remained too dangerous for Cambodians to operate there.