Six hundred and fifteen personnel of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Ghana Battalion 92 (GHANBATT 92), arrived in Accra last Saturday after successfully completing their peacekeeping mission in Southern Lebanon.
The battalion served in an extremely volatile environment, marked by Israeli ground troop invasion and occupation of parts of Southern Lebanon.
GHANBATT 92 was constituted in May last year. The 615 strong personnel included 103 females.
Operations
Upon arrival at the theatre of operations, the battalion encountered an increasingly hostile security environment as fighting between the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah intensified.
Despite attacks on its positions, leading to some casualties, the battalion continued to perform its UN mandate, earning high commendations from the UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander.
GHANBATT 92 also strengthened its positions to protect vulnerable civilians and repaired critical infrastructure damaged by intense crossfire between Hezbollah and the IDF.
Among the projects undertaken was the re-roofing of the entire Ali Jafar Block, which housed the Battalion Tactical Operations Centre.
Beyond its core peacekeeping duties, the battalion also provided humanitarian assistance to communities within its area of responsibility through its Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) initiatives.
Commendation
The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Gbetanu, who received the personnel at a Mission Accomplishment Parade at Burma Camp, commended them for their resilience, professionalism and courage during the deployment.
He said the deployment moved from a traditional peacekeeping operations into a high-intensity theatre of direct danger following the escalation of geopolitical conflicts in Southern Lebanon.
Major General Gbetanu said one of the most difficult moments of the deployment occurred on March 6, this year, when two missiles struck the battalion headquarters at Al-Kawza during heavy shelling.
He said vital infrastructure was destroyed in the attack while the base was thrown into an active combat situation, but the personnel maintained their composure despite the explosions, smoke and incoming fire.
“As your Chief of the Army Staff, I acknowledge the deep physical, emotional and psychological effects on you.
“We owe you the responsibility of helping you to heal.
We owe you the responsibility of helping you to reintegrate both into your family and into your respective units.
We will, therefore, continue to monitor your well-being closely to ensure that no single soldier bears the psychological weight of post-operational stress alone,” he assured.
On compensation for personnel who suffered injuries or material losses, Major General Gbetanu said the necessary processes had been initiated to secure the compensation due them.
He appealed to affected personnel to remain patient, explaining that international administrative procedures involved in processing such claims took time.
Major General Gbetanu, however, said that they retained the right to inquire about the progress of their claims through the established chain of command.
Leave
The soldiers had been granted a special 42-day disembarkation leave as part of measures to support their recovery and reintegration.
The leave begins a day after personnel report to their respective units.
Major General Gbetanu explained that the extension had become necessary partly because the rotation of the personnel had been delayed.
He expressed gratitude to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and Ghana Airports Company Limited for their flexibility with flight cut-off times, which he said helped in facilitating the delayed rotation of personnel.
“Officers and soldiers of UNIFIL GHANBATT 92, you left our shores as peacekeepers. You returned to us as living beacons of resilience, battle-tested and victorious,” Major General Gbetanu said.
