India pulls peacekeepers from Sierra Leone

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India decides to pull its peacekeepers out of Sierra Leone

Thursday, September 21 (Sierra Leone):

 

India has said it will withdraw its entire 3,000-member contingent of

troops from Sierra Leone. Earlier, India had accused Nigerian

peacekeepers of profiting from the diamond business in Sierra Leone.

Nigerian military officials had in turn, asked for the resignation of

Major General Vijay Jaitley, the overall force commander in Sierra

Leone.

 

The decision follows disputes between Major General Vijay Jaitley,

the UN force commander and his Nigerian subordinates who has asked

for General Jaitley to step down. General Jaitley had earlier accused

Nigerian military officials of undermining the UN operations in

Sierra Leone by having a hand in the diamond trade in the country.

According to an Indian military spokesperson, "We have decided to

withdraw from Sierra Leone as part of a routine rotation out of the

mission, so as to give other member states a chance to participate in

the mission."

 

With the Indian decision to withdraw, the UN will have to delay its

plans to beef up its military presence in Sierra Leone. The UN

intends to have a military force of 20,500 personnel in the troubled

African state.