Sri Lankan Force Protection Unit (SLFPU) serving in the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon has been honoured at the United Nations medal awarding ceremony.The event was held on Wednesday (Sept.
06) at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters in Naqoura, South of Lebanon, under the patronage of Major General Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, the Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL.Accordingly, UN Peacekeeping Medals were bestowed upon the Sri Lankan contingent, which consists of 125 army personnel.In his speech, Major General Saenz commended the professionalism and commitment of the Sri Lanka contingent.The event was followed by a reception hosted by the Sri Lankan contingent of UNIFIL.The UNIFIL was established in 1978 by the UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 in response to a surge in violence on the border between Israel and Lebanon.
The UNIFIL patrols the Lebanons southern border with Israel.Since the inception of SLFPU, the Sri Lankan army has thus far dispatched 12 contingents to serve in Lebanon at the request of UNIFIL.
In February 2022, a 125-member contingent left for Lebanon consisting of 10 army officers and 115 other ranks.In August 2023, the UN Security Council voted to extend the long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon for another year after a compromise was reached between France and the United States on language about the freedom of movement of UN troops.