|
Ghana's military and police presence was proudly advertised in the operations of UNTAC. A total of 3,359 soldiers and 283 police personnel from Ghana were among the large number of international messengers of peace who laid to rest the chronic military confusion in Cambodia. The UNTAC operation lasted two years, 1992-93. After a long running civil war ignited by external interventions, an international conference in Paris designed a formula on 23rd October 1991 that was accepted by the four warring parties. Nineteen other countries that appeared to have a stake in the conflict also signed the agreement.
Ghana's military and police presence was proudly advertised in the operations of UNTAC. A total of 3,359 soldiers and 283 police personnel from Ghana were among the large number of international messengers of peace who laid to rest the chronic military confusion in Cambodia. The UNTAC operation lasted two years, 1992-93. After a long running civil war ignited by external interventions, an international conference in Paris designed a formula on 23rd October 1991 that was accepted by the four warring parties. Nineteen other countries that appeared to have a stake in the conflict also signed the agreement.
Before the establishment of UNTAC, an exploratory peace mission known as the United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC) was put in place. UNAMIC, which was charged to oversee the ceasefire and later to undertake the mining operations, became operational on 9th November 1991. UNTAC took over from UNAMIC on 15th March 1992.
UNTAC role spanned various aspects of peace making: human rights, electoral assistance, military and civil administration, civilian police, repatriation and rehabilitation and, as such, offered great challenges for the peacekeepers. The military component of the operation entailed stabilizing security and building confidence among the warring parties. Soldiers also had to accompany electoral officials to voter registration centres. UNTAC soldiers, in addition, had to involve themselves in the daunting task of mine clearance and at the same time teach the locals how to clear mines. About 37,000 mines and other unexploded ordnance were destroyed. Some 2,300 Cambodians were trained in mine clearing techniques.
The peacekeepers also assisted in civilian administration, exercising full control over five key areas including issuance of passports and visas. The UNTAC civilian police component worked in close cooperation with other components of the operation such as human rights, civil administration, electoral assistance and repatriation.
At its peak, UNTAC involved 22,000 civilian and military personnel, the largest combined civil military UN mission since ONUC. There were 3,600 civilian police, 1,149 international civilian staff, 465 United Nations volunteers and 4,830 local staff. UNAMIC and UNTAC had a combined budget of more than $1.6 billion. Ghanaian soldiers and police effectively contributed to bringing political and military to Cambodia.
|
