Ninth Contingent of National Gendarmerie Returns from Bangui

The ninth contingent of the national gendarmerie, made up of 140 elements including 11 officers and non-commissioned officers specialized in operational training, health, techniques, and logistics, returned to Nouakchott, on Saturday evening, from Bangui where it worked as part of the UN peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic. The detachment was responsible for maintaining order, protecting people and property, securing public figures, government buildings, and UN structures, providing relief and delivering humanitarian aid. The contingent was welcomed at Oumtounsy International Airport by the Chief of Staff of the National Gendarmerie, Brigadier General Abdallahi Ould Ahmed Aicha, and the Director of Technical Affairs at the National Gendarmerie General Staff, Brigadier General, Ahmed Mahmoud Ould Taya. In his welcoming remarks, the Chief of Staff paid a deserved tribute to the members of the contingent for the accomplishment of the noble and difficult mission which they carried out with courage and without loss, despite the great risks to which they were exposed. “Your sense of responsibility and the enormous sacrifices you have shown have enabled you to succeed in your mission and to constantly stand out from your peers from the participating countries”, as he put it. Brigadier General Abdallahi Ould Ahmed Aicha conveyed to the contingent the greetings of the President of the Republic, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces, his satisfaction, and his appreciation for the positive role accomplished by the units of the national gendarmerie that have always left very strong impressions among the populations and civil society of the Central African Republic. For her part, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the Central African Republic, Ms. Jane Caroline, praised the quality of the actions undertaken by the Mauritanian contingents, within the framework of the UN peacekeeping force in that country. She said that the action taken by the contingents of the national gendarmerie in Bangui was well appreciated by citizens and civil society, stressing that their deployment made it possible to secure public buildings such as the Prime Minister’s office and the National Assembly. The United Nations had addressed a written congratulatory letter to the chief of staff of the gendarmerie welcoming the honorable participation of the national gendarmerie and calling for strengthening its mission in Bangui.