Monrovia — The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) has completed pre-deployment training for soldiers expected to be deployed on Peacekeeping Missions in Mali, Sudan, and South Sudan.
In a statement posted on the Ministry of Defense's official Facebook page, the Ministry said the pre-deployment training lasted for six weeks with 93 soldiers participating in the exercise which was conducted by the US Army, in collaboration with the AFL.
Liberia, once a war-torn country, hosted peacekeepers for decades. However, 20 years after the end of the war, the country has made significant progress. And one of the sectors that continue to celebrated both at home and abroad is its army - the AFL.
"Liberia is an example of the tangible impact that peacekeeping has on countries affected by conflict," said UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in recognition of Liberia's strong support to United Nations Peacekeeping at an event in New York last November.
"For several decades, it hosted peacekeeping operations in the wake of a civil war. Today, Liberia is a country at peace, thanks to the efforts of thousands of peacekeepers from around the world. Today, Liberia, in turn, deploys 'Blue Helmets" to help other countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace," Mr. Lacroix added.
Continuing, he said: "We deeply appreciate the service and sacrifice of all the Liberian men and women who have served with the UN. We will always remember the seven Liberian peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the UN flag; as well as the 34 Liberian civilian national staff who perished while working for the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)."
The deployment of the new batch of soldiers will boost the AFL troops currently on peacekeeping missions abroad.
Currently, the AFL has about 150 personnel deployed in Timbuktu, Mali as Troop Contributing Country (TCC), 13 Military Staff Officers (MSO) in Mali and four Military Observers (MILOB) in Sudan and South Sudan with ten percent female representation, according to Liberia's Ministry of Defense.
The old AFL was disbanded in 2003 based on the Accra Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) due to its role as a warring faction in Liberia's brutal civil war.
Under the supervision of the U.S. Government and ECOWAS, the restructuring of the new AFL began in 2006 following the inauguration of Liberia's first post-war democratically elected government headed by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first female elected president.
Within seven years, the new AFL was inducted in to International Peace Support Operations (PSO) in June 2013 under the African-Led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) that later transition to United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in July 2013.
The Armed Forces of Liberia, according to the Ministry of Defense, has gained prominence on the international scene with tremendous contribution in peace support operations, with Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel S. Savice (Rtd) who served in United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) in 2012. Since that time, Liberian troops have slowly, but gradually inched toward recognition within the military wing of the UN.
At present, an AFL personnel occupies the position of chief personnel of the entire military force in MINUSMA. In 2018, a Liberian officer served as the Senior Military Observer (3rd in command) of the Mission.
Today, Liberia is the 60th largest contributor among all UN Member States, the UN Said. And this contribution includes troops, military staff officers, individual police officers and experts on mission.
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Deepened Collaboration
The pre-deployment exercise also come as the AFL graduated several recruits in December. It also highlights U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the AFL's deep collaboration that has transformed the Liberian army.
Last month, AFL leaders participated in two DOD-sponsored conferences, including the Africa Chiefs of Defense (CHOD) conference in Rome, Italy and the African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS) in Cape Verde.
The AFL Chief of Staff, Major General Prince C. Johnson III, joined senior U.S. leaders at the CHOD conference in Rome.
Captain (CG) John S-Kek Wille, the Liberia Coast Guard commander and more than 80 delegates from 38 countries were at the inaugural AMFS in Sal Island, Cabo Verde.
This year's CHOD conference theme was "How our Combined Resources and Requirements Affect our Reality, Reputation, and Response."
