Sri Lanka’s defence minister said his armed forces were “well prepared” to participate in United Nations peacekeeping missions, at a summit in London this week.
State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene told the summit that Sri Lankan troops were keen to take part in peacekeeping missions, calling them a “golden opportunity”.
Meeting with 80 other ministers and military officials from across the world, the minister “explained our ability, enthusiasm and readiness to take part,” said Sri Lanka’s official Ministry of Defence website.
“The only constraint encountering is the fulfilment of the equipment as required by the UN,” said the minister, to which “key decision makers and stake holders” vowed to help expedite, reported the MoD.
Sri Lanka recently announced that its troops have been invited to join the UN peacekeeping force in Mali. The Sri Lanka army has been accused of committing mass atrocities against the Tamil people during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009, and was previously found to be guilty of sexual trafficking and sexual abuse of minors in former UN peacekeeping roles.
