President-elect, Yamandu Orsi, acknowledged the dangers for his country’s blue helmet battalion, which last week suffered the death of a soldier and recorded several wounded by armed attacks.
Orsi told the press “One has to “be careful” in questioning the fact that the soldiers are still in Congo. He stressed that the Uruguayan contingent’s mission is one of peace.
In the same sense, the designated Minister of Defense, Sandra Lazo, said: “Uruguay has been present in the DRC for more than 20 years and has always played an essential role”, she said. She emphasized that Uruguayan troops would remain in the DRC as long as the UN maintains the mission and the security situation permits. The Uruguayan government will continue to monitor the crisis and maintain contact with the UN and key actors in the region, she emphasized.
Uruguay’s mission there is not to get involved in combat but to provide a response and security to thousands of civilians living in the region, Foreign Minister Omar Paganini said.
Asked if withdrawing Uruguayan troops was being considered, he said that “it is not on the table”.
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