MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Relief operation of DRC Uruguayan blue helmets underway

Some 200 troops are arriving at Carrasco on a chartered Ethiopian Airlines flight from Rwanda (Pic Ejercito de Uruguay)

Uruguay is carrying out on Friday a troop relief operation for its United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Approximately 200 Uruguayan soldiers from the Uruguay IV Battalion are arriving at Carrasco International Airport at 6.35 am on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Rwanda. President Yamandú Orsi and Defense Minister Sandra Lazo will welcome them.

After their arrival, the troops will be transferred to the 1st Infantry Brigade headquarters in the capital for a reception with political and military authorities and their families. They will undergo health protocols before receiving 20 days' leave.

Minister Lazo stated that these returnees were “the most urgent cases” identified by the deployed battalion. Some soldiers have voluntarily chosen to extend their stay in the DRC. This returning contingent faced challenges during their deployment, including the loss of soldier Rodolfo Álvarez in January due to an attack attributed to the M23 rebel group, and other injuries.

On Thursday, Lazo bid farewell to the new contingent of Uruguayan soldiers departing for the DRC. This group will complete the over 600 “blue helmets” that Uruguay contributes to the mission, with departure scheduled for 8.35 am Friday on the same Ethiopian Airlines aircraft. The full relief effort is expected to be completed by the end of July and into August.

The newly deployed contingent is primarily composed of a mechanized company, equipped with mechanized vehicles and weaponry to support the battalion commander.

Army Chief Mario Stevenazzi emphasized the rigorous selection and extensive training process for these soldiers, which includes physical and mental preparation as well as specific activities required by the United Nations. While their main mission is to protect the civilian population, they are trained to assume combat roles if necessary. The troops will be transferred to the city of Goma to begin the relief process.

“Those who go are professional soldiers, and then there is a three- or four-month ongoing process where they do different activities. These are not activities that we want, but rather those that the Army provides, plus what the United Nations itself requires us to train for,” Stevenazzi pointed out.