Commander’s Award for Military Observers
Szöveg: honvedelem.hu | 2016. április 23. 9:38On 22 October 2015, the members of MINUSCA 107th Team Site arranged a meeting with a regional leader of the anti-balaka militia, who was responsible for laying armed ambushes on UN convoys, setting up illegal checkpoints and a number of kidnappings, among them that of seven MINUSCA peacekeepers who were disarmed and then released. As a result of this single meeting, the observers of the Team Site got back their confiscated weapons and UN symbols. With this, they managed to forestall further attacks and prevent a complex military intervention. The members of the Team Site – including Hungarian Capt. Tamás Brunner – received the commander’s awards for their service in the interest of peace.
On 26 September 2015, the corpse of a Muslim man was found outside a mosque in Bangui, the capital of the country. The finding of the body re-generated tensions between the anti-balaka and ex-Séléka, fighting broke out in a single day all around the country, and street violence and armed ambushes on UN-escorted trade convoys became everyday occurrences over the next months.
In this environment, an active anti-balaka armed group appeared in the environment of the Boali-based MINUSCA Team Site. Its members kidnapped people, regularly ambushed UN convoys, and terrorized local people and their leaders.
On 18 October the group captured seven Cameroonian peacekeepers (policemen), took away their weapons and equipment, and the following day released them on the outskirts of Bangui. The incident significantly damaged MINUSCA’s prestige among the population, and the military headquarters started planning a military operation against the group.
Before the launch of the military operation, however, the Team Site members set their sight on arranging a meeting, and the headquarters authorized them to do so. As a result of successful negotiations, the regional leader of the armed anti-balaka group promised to cease all attacks against MINUSCA, local authorities and convoys, and conditionally agreed to returning the confiscated UN equipment. The head of the MINUSCA mission (Special Representative of the Secretary General, SRSG) also congratulated on the arrangement of the successful meeting.
Chief of Staff French Brig.-Gen. Jacques de Lapasse wrote the following in a letter “I congratulate the 107th TS. This was a highly sensitive issue that you handled professionally and efficiently. I called the SRSG by phone immediately to tell him the good news, and I congratulate you again on behalf of him as well."
The MINUSCA Force Commander awarded the observers who attended the meeting for their exceptionally commendable behavior and bravery shown in the face of difficulties during their service for creating peace. Capt. Tamás Brunner was presented with the citation by Acting Commander Bangladeshi Maj.-Gen. S. M. Shafiuddin Ahmed on 7 March. These have been the first-ever high-level awards for observers serving with the MINUSCA mission.
Photo: MINUSCA mission
