SAF members arrived from the Central African Republic

Saturday, 16.1.2016 | Multinational Operations

The SAF contingent from the second rotation, which has been deployed in the UN mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for the past months, arrived in Serbia tonight.

They were welcomed at Belgrade airport "Nikola Tesla" by Deputy Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Jovica Draganic, Deputy Commander of the Joint Operations Command Major General Slavoljub Janicijevic, Acting Chief of the Military Health Department Colonel Dr. Ugljesa Jovicic and Head of the Peacekeeping Operations Centre Colonel Milivoje Pajovic.

68 of them stayed more than six months 4,505 kilometres away from Belgrade in the Serbian base "Morava" in Bangui. The contingent also included doctors and medical technicians from the Military Medical Academy, the Military Hospital in Nis, Novi Sad Military Medical Centre and the Centre of Military Medical Institutions Belgrade.

General Draganic welcomed them and congratulated on the successful completion of the task of supporting peace in the Central African Republic.

– You have performed the task honourably, responsibly and professionally to the pride of the Republic of Serbia and the Serbian Armed Forces, said Deputy Chief of Staff.

Contingent Commander Colonel Goran Radosavljevic said that the mission in the Central African Republic is very complex.

– A year later, MINUSCA firmly "stands on its feet," as well as the military component of the mission. I would like to mention the Senegalese general who was in the previous two months the head of the military component, because he significantly improved the security situation and it will certainly affect the entire mission and our members who went to Bangui in the third rotation, said Colonel Radosavljevic.

Members of the Serbian Armed Forces were deployed in the treatment and care of military and civilian patients and medical evacuation by air to Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and the Central African Republic. They stayed in Bangui during the political and security crisis in the country. During the mission, they were all awarded UN medals.

The third rotation travelled to the heart of the African continent last night – 68 members of the Serbian contingent composed of a unit for logistics, Military Hospital level 2 which represents the major forces of the contingent and a three-member command.