THE Nigerian Army authority Friday said it has so far recorded no casualty in Nigeria’s Peace Keeping operation to Mali.

Head of African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) Monitoring Team, Major General Chinedu Ugwu, disclosed this while deploying another set of troops, which include 57 officers to replace the previous troops deployed to Mali in January this year.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the troops’ predeployment training at the Nigerian Army Peace Keeping Centre (NAPKC), Jaji near Kaduna, Major General Ugwu said Nigeria’s performance in Mali has been excellent as he was quick to note that, Nigerian Army has not lost any soul in the ongoing operation.

According to the Head of AFISMA Monitoring Team, the Nigerian Army has been performing well and the host country, Mali is happy to have the Nigerian contingent. In fact, in the areas where the Nigerian troops are deployed, like Rere and Niara the people are always happy with them to the extent that they donate food items to them. They said they want Nigeria to be with them and that is why we have the Force Commander there. They are all happy and our performance is excellent.

The essence of the predeployment training for NIBATT 2 is to rotate the present troops in Mali. They will be rotated after six months, General Ugwu said.

Earlier, while addressing the 906 officers and soldiers, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Ahmed Jibrin warned the troops to avoid trafficking of illicit drugs as they embark on the trip and also respect the cultural and religious sensitivity of the people of Mali.

He said, the nature of peacekeeping operations have changed and take place in complex environments characterized by challenging issues like destroyed infrastructure, economic collapse and human suffering.

The GOC further noted that despite the challenges, Nigeria would continue to live up to its commitment in safeguarding world peace as he told the troops to defend themselves when necessary.

According to him, you can fight to discharge your mandate when the need arises to do so, especially to protect yourself, your colleague or persons and property in your care. You must remember that the rules of engagement are to serve guidance in the use and application of force, Idris said.

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