Russia to send military hospital to UN mission in Chad
Russia is to send a military hospital to Chad and engineers to the Central African Republic in support of UN missions, Russia`s envoy has told a UN Assembly General peacekeeping committee.
Vitaly Churkin also said Russia was working to "expand its participation in operations to support peace." He noted that Russian peacekeepers were stationed in the Middle East, Africa, Haiti, and Kosovo.
The UN Security Council has repeatedly voiced its concerns over the activity of armed groups in Chad and the Central African Republic, as well as in the neighboring Sudanese region of Darfur.
The Council approved on 25 September, 2007 the establishment in Chad and the Central African Republic "of a multidimensional presence intended to help create the security conditions conducive to a voluntary, secure and sustainable return of refugees and displaced persons".
MINURCAT, the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad, numbers 300 police and 50 communications officers.
A Russian helicopter unit is already involved in a UN mission in Sudan, and Russia is also deploying another aviation group to participate in MINURCAT, Churkin said.
As of November 30, 2008, 276 Russians were involved in UN peacekeeping missions around the world.
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