The 610 NDF soldiers will leave for Liberia next week to join the United Nations peacekeeping force there.

The contingent will be led by the Commanding Officer of the Fifth Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Erastus Kashopola, and his second-in-command, Major Isack Shinehungi.

Brigadier General Thomas Hamunyela addressed the soldiers at the Ondangwa Army Base on Monday morning, urging them to behave in an exemplary way to promote Namibia's image abroad.

Hamunyela warned the men that anyone making himself guilty of misconduct would be sent home immediately.

The first contingent of Namibian peacekeepers were sent to Liberia in 2004 to help with the disarming and demobilisation of combatants.

The fifth contingent will support the international effort to consolidate peace and stability in Liberia after the election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in January.

"This commitment remains on our shoulders until the UN mandate on peace in Liberia is completed," Hamunyela told the soldiers.

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