UN asks Sri Lanka to repatriate peacekeeping commander in Mali over human rights concerns

The United Nations has asked Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate the commander of it’s peacekeeping contingent in Mali, following a review of his human rights background, AP reports.

The request to repatriate Lt. Col. Kalana Amunupure, the commander of Sri Lanka’s contingent of 200 soldiers in Mali, was made “based on recently received information” according to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

Earlier this year a list drawn up by ITJP identified several alleged perpetrators of war crimes that had been deployed by Sri Lanka on UN peacekeeping missions.

While human rights defenders have called for better vetting of troops deployed on UN missions, Sri Lankan officials have boasted that their involvement in the missions was indicative of the prestige of their armed forces.

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