A team of Sri Lankan Air Force personnel are to be deployed to Central Africa next month to undertake United Nations (UN) peacekeeping duties.
The Passing Out Parade of the No 5 contingent of the Aviation Unit under the UN helicopter deployment was held yesterday at the Sri Lankan Air Force Base in Katunayake.
The helicopter deployment includes 18 officers and 92 airmen and are scheduled to start in September 2019.
The UN has previously raised concerns given the problematic record of the Sri Lankan military abroad. The UN had accused 134 Sri Lankan soldiers of sexually abusing and exploiting 9 Haitian boys and girls from late 2004 to mid-2007.
UN Resolution 30/1 on accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka also asked for Sri Lanka’s military forces to be vetted for rights violations in its armed ethnic conflict before deploying personnel on UN missions.
