Ghana’s UN peacekeeping mission in DRC extended for three years

The United Nations Security Council voted 13-0 on Friday to extend and expand Ghana’s military contribution to the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), keeping the Ghanaian contingent in place until 2029 and increasing troop numbers from 850 to 1,200, making Ghana the mission’s single largest troop-contributing nation.nnThe decision follows an eighteen-month period in which the Ghanaian battalion, operating in North Kivu province, was credited with significant improvements in civilian protection in the communities around Rutshuru and was commended by MONUSCO’s Force Commander for its professionalism and community relations approach.nnDefence Minister Dr Dominic Nitiwul said the extension reflected both Ghana’s commitment to multilateral peacekeeping and the high regard in which Ghanaian soldiers were held by UN mission leadership. “Our soldiers are not just present in the DRC. They are making a difference on the ground,” he said.nnThe additional 350 personnel will be drawn from a mix of infantry, engineers and medical units. A field hospital is being established in the expanded Ghanaian sector that will serve both military personnel and local civilians — the first such civilian-accessible medical facility in that area of North Kivu.nnGhana has been one of Africa’s most consistent UN peacekeeping contributors since the 1960s. The country currently has troops in eight UN missions across Africa and the Middle East, making it among the world’s top-fifteen troop-contributing nations by size.nnThe 1,200 deployed personnel represent the largest single deployment of Ghanaian soldiers overseas since the UNIFIL Lebanon mission peak of the early 2000s.