Military equipment leaves for Liberia

A SHIPLOAD of 800 tons of military equipment will be leaving the Walvis Bay harbour tomorrow to arrive eight days later in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.

The equipment will be used by 900 Namibian Defence Force (NDF) soldiers on a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Liberia over the next three years. Victory Simunja, Deputy Minister of Defence, yesterday inspected the load with the captain of the ship before its departure.Representatives of the UN inspected the equipment earlier this week, and were satisfied, according to Major Steven Nambambi, co-ordinator of the Namibian mission.He said the exercise cost the NDF between N$5 million and N$8 million.It took about three months to get everything prepared.This included spray-painting all the equipment in white with the distinctive UN letters in black.The equipment has all been sourced from NDF stock.Nambambi said the consignment of equipment destined for Liberia would not leave NDF activities vulnerable as enough resources would be left behind.The 800 tons of equipment consists of approximately 100 vehicles, of which the majority are armoured trucks, as well as equipment “related to the welfare of the soldiers”.This included ambulances, and sporting equipment to keep the soldiers busy in their free time.The first group of soldiers already left the country on January 17, while the majority will depart from the Windhoek International Airport over a period of one week from January 27.Major Nambambi said the soldiers were to be deployed at three locations in Liberia.The soldiers did not join the peacekeeping force voluntarily, but were ordered to do so.The Namibian team was a mixture of new recruits and experienced soldiers.Victory Simunja, Deputy Minister of Defence, yesterday inspected the load with the captain of the ship before its departure. Representatives of the UN inspected the equipment earlier this week, and were satisfied, according to Major Steven Nambambi, co-ordinator of the Namibian mission. He said the exercise cost the NDF between N$5 million and N$8 million. It took about three months to get everything prepared. This included spray-painting all the equipment in white with the distinctive UN letters in black. The equipment has all been sourced from NDF stock. Nambambi said the consignment of equipment destined for Liberia would not leave NDF activities vulnerable as enough resources would be left behind. The 800 tons of equipment consists of approximately 100 vehicles, of which the majority are armoured trucks, as well as equipment “related to the welfare of the soldiers”. This included ambulances, and sporting equipment to keep the soldiers busy in their free time. The first group of soldiers already left the country on January 17, while the majority will depart from the Windhoek International Airport over a period of one week from January 27. Major Nambambi said the soldiers were to be deployed at three locations in Liberia. The soldiers did not join the peacekeeping force voluntarily, but were ordered to do so. The Namibian team was a mixture of new recruits and experienced soldiers.