Sri Lankan peacekeepers conclude Haiti mission

The formal conclusion of the Sri Lankan Peace Keeping contingent assignment in the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) took place at the Sri Lankan Peace Keeping Contingent (SRIBAT) Headquarters in Leogane, Haiti, recently.

The Sri Lankan contingent, mainly comprised Army personnel, as one of the longest serving foreign missions in Haiti after undertaking responsibilities way back in 2004, has deployed 17,904 Sri Lankan Peace Keepers on six-month rotation basis, belonging to 20 Sri Lankan contingents in the past 11 years.

The final 20th SRIBAT batch, including the Army, Navy and Air Force personnel who reported for duties in MINUSTAH (Haiti) on December 7, 2014 returned to the island in last week of May, 2015 after official formalities are over.

Carl Alexander, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General graced the final closing ceremony as the Chief Guest at Leogane.

In his address, Alexander spoke of more than 10 years of invaluable services, rendered by all 20 Sri Lankan contingents in the MINUSTAH and appreciated the roles of the SRIBAT, particularly in times of national disasters and earthquakes during their deployment in the MINUSTAH.