Off the wire
• Beetles pollinate plants millions of year ago: study  • U.S. delegation in Ankara to discuss Gulen's extradition  • Saudi court sentences Egyptian to 6 years in jail over spying for Iran  • Burundi's ruling party gets new boss  • 40 militants killed in NW Pakistan military operation  • Israel rebukes Turkey's condemnation of its attacks on Gaza  • Number of tourists increases significantly in Bulgaria  • Feature: Iranians bathed in diverse culture from China's Xinjiang  • Jordan gets grants of 97.5 million USD to help Syrian refugees  • Lithuanian army makes largest acquisition in history  
You are here: 　 Home

Rwanda to rotate aviation unit at UN mission in S. Sudan

Xinhua, August 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

A contingent of 165 aviation personnel of Rwanda Defense Force, including pilots, flight engineers, and logisticians, is set to be deployed to the UN Mission in South Sudan on August 31.

The contingent, expected to serve a year-long mission, will replace their colleagues who have finished their yearlong duty.

Briefing the personnel at Busanza Airbase camp in Kigali on Monday, Brig. Gen. Charles Karamba, Rwanda Air force chief of staff, urged the personnel to be mindful of the challenges they will encounter in their operation.

"There are various challenges where you are going," he warned. "You need to understand the environment, the terrain, the people and other missions."

Karamba also urged the personnel to be disciplined and dedicated.

The tasks of the aviation unit include airlifting UN workers and their cargo, reconnaissance and rescue operations.

Rwanda aviation unit has its main base in capital Juba and the forward base in northern South Sudanese city of Malakal.

The first aviation unit of Rwanda Defense Forces was deployed in South Sudan in 2012. Enditem