Georgian peacekeepers return home from African mission

Georgian military peacekeepers have returned home after spending months serving in the Central African Republic.

The Combined Company of the 23rd Battalion of II Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF) completed their role within the peacekeeping mission and returned to Georgia yesterday. The 23rd Battalion replaced the 22nd Battalion of the same Brigade on December 9, 2014.

The United Nations-mandated EU peacekeeping mission, commonly referred to as EUFOR RCA, is based in Bangui and the goal of the mission is to stabilise the area after more than a year of internal conflict. Agreement about the mission was reached in January 2014 and the first operations stated at the end of April.

In this mission, the task of Georgian soldiers was to provide security, involving infantry and motorised patrolling, within their area of responsibility in Bangui, the country’s capital. The Georgian side accomplished their mission successfully and returned home without casualties.

A farewell ceremony for the Georgian contingent was held at Base UKATEX in Bangui earlier this week and attended by Georgia’s First Deputy Minister of Defence Gocha Ratinai and Deputy Chief of General Staff of the GAF Colonel Roman Jokhadze.

Georgian peacekeepers before they left the Base UKATEX in Bangui, Central Africa. Photo by MOD.

The EU Force Commander for the mission, Brigadier General Jean-Marc Bacquet delivered a speech at the ceremony, where he gave high appreciation to the Georgian military’s "high professional skills and personal discipline”.

Brigadier General Bacquet personally presented EUFOR medals to Georgia’s Platoon Commander Lieutenant Giorgi Sakhokia, Company Commander Captain Paata Patsatsia and Senior Military Representative Major Lasha Chanchaleishvili.

The French General also thanked the GAF representatives for their contribution to the ongoing mission in the Central African Republic.

Georgian military have contributed to the EU security mission since March 2014, after the EU asked the Georgian Government to contribute to the African mission.

The mission aspired to create "a safe haven" at Bangui airport and in two nearby districts to allow the return of refugees who have fled following violence between Muslim and Christian communities.

Currently, more than 100,000 people are living in awful conditions near the airport.

The EU said this was the most multi-national military operation deployed in Africa so far, with 14 EU member states present in the field, 19 in the theatre and 22 at the Operation Head Quarters at Mont Valerien (France). Many contributing nations are from Eastern Europe, including Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Romania.