peacekeepers

Irish troops to spend Christmas on peacekeeping duty in south Lebanon as UNIFIL observes fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire More than 300 Irish soldiers will spend Christmas Day on peacekeeping duties at Camp Shamrock in south Lebanon, serving with the UNIFIL mission to observe the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in the region. The deployment means hundreds of service members will mark the holiday away from home. Their work will continue through the day, focused on maintaining stability and…

BEIRUT — The Lebanese army said it arrested six people after gunmen opened fire on an Irish United Nations patrol in southern Lebanon on Thursday, in the latest flare-up along the volatile border region. United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that six men riding three mopeds approached a patrol vehicle near Bint Jbeil at about 6 p.m. and one of the men fired “approximately three shots into the back of the vehicle.” The UN peacekeepers were not injured, UNIFIL said. The Irish Defence Forces confirmed its…

"Genuine peace must be the product of many nations..." "Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process." — John F. Kennedy Ireland, UNIFIL and the hard calculus of stabilising Gaza When nations talk about “stabilisation” today, they are describing an uneasy, long-term business: dismantling armed networks, reconstituting local policing, protecting aid corridors and — crucially — building…

Somalia’s president rejects the idea of a proxy war as Egyptian and Ethiopian forces prepare to serve side by side President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s calm confidence — “there will be no proxy war” — is as much a diplomatic posture as it is a strategic calculation. His reassurance, given in an interview with the BBC, comes as Egypt prepares to send troops to Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission that already includes Ethiopian units. The announcement has unexpectedly exposed one of the Horn of Africa’s most…

In Golweyn, a town deep in the Somali heartland, Omar Hassan Warsame was known for his generosity and leadership. His vast farm provided not only a bounty of corn and bananas but also a lifeline for locals, offering jobs and sheltering the community from the harsh seasons. At 65, Omar and his team, up to a dozen strong, busied themselves with tending to their fields. Located in the Lower Shebelle region, about 110 kilometers from Mogadishu, his farm often stood as a beacon of stability against the regular droughts that…

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen has branded the UNIFIL peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon as "ineffectual," arguing they have utterly failed to shield Israelis from assaults by Hezbollah. As tensions escalate, he urged the United Nations to withdraw these forces from the combat zones. "Israel will spare no effort in safeguarding its citizens. If the UN is unable to assist, it should at least refrain from meddling and relocate its personnel away from the danger zones," Cohen remarked on social media platform X.…

"FILE - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi makes a gesture during a press briefing in Cairo, Egypt, on October 25, 2023." (AP Photo, Christophe Ena, Pool, File) Somalia has announced that Egypt has proposed sending peacekeeping troops to its territory, offering support as the mandate of the existing African Union peacekeepers is winding down. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi was present at a summit in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, where he, alongside Somalia and Eritrea's leaders, vowed to enhance cooperation for…

On October 5, 2024, armored UNIFIL vehicles left a base in Marjayoun, Lebanon to keep vigil at the volatile Lebanon-Israel boundary. Remarkably, the Israeli military has targeted the UN’s peacekeepers in Lebanon twice in just two days, the United Nations reports. On Thursday, Israeli forces fired multiple rounds at a UNIFIL guard tower, wounding two peacekeepers. Again on Friday, another assault on a surveillance tower injured two additional personnel. That a UN nation would shoot at peacekeeping forces is nearly…

In the city of Asmara, Eritrea, leaders converged for a pivotal meeting. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi joined Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki at a trilateral summit. Together, they vowed to fortify security alliances amidst growing regional unrest, with particular focus on Ethiopia's heightened presence in the Horn of Africa.Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia warmly welcomed Egypt’s offer to contribute peacekeeping forces as part of the forthcoming African Union Mission to Support…

On Thursday, a military helicopter transporting international peacekeepers experienced a mishap near the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Remarkably, several military personnel aboard, including three Ugandan soldiers part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), survived the crash, as per security sources.Fortunately, the incident led to no fatalities, a military official disclosed to Anadolu via a phone call. They asked to stay anonymous due to lack of media authorization.At this point, neither the Somali…