At the end of June, 275 Ukrainian peacekeepers landed in Liberia, a war-torn nation in West Africa, to replace the outgoing contingent.
At the end of June, 275 Ukrainian peacekeepers landed in Liberia, a war-torn nation in West Africa, to replace the outgoing contingent.
Ukraine has been sending its army personnel to Liberia for seven years as part of the United Nations’ 15,000-man peacekeeping force.
Liberia is home to 3.5 million people, who over the last decade have been trying to rebuild their country after warlords left it in tatters following battles for control.
During the civil war that started in the 1990s more than 250,000 people were killed and nearly 800,000 fled.
Ukrainian peacekeepers were first deployed seven years ago.
They live at the military base some 60 kilometers away from Liberian capital Morovia patrolling the territory and transporting UN freight. After the rotation in June, 60 peacekeepers flew to the Ivory Coast, which suffered a civil was last year.
At the Liberian base, Ukrainian army personnel eat Ukrainian food.
Their brick quarters and cars are often disinfected to prevent the spread of malaria by mosquitoes.
But the dangers of the war zone combined with a threat of infectious diseases are usually outweighed by some $1,000 salary that attracts Ukrainian peacekeepers to Liberia.
