*UN Awards� 140 Nigeria �Police Officers Serving in Mali*

140 Nigerian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) have been awarded the United Nations medal.

The Deputy Chief of the United Nations Police Component (UNPOL), Brigadier General Jean François VOILLOT, presided over the ceremony that was held in Timbuktu.

The medal recipients, including 40 women, were members of the Nigerian Formed Police Unit (FPU).

The UN medal rewards the courage and commitment of peacekeepers who have spent 90 days in MINUSMA, particularly in northern Mali, in the service of peace.

The UN Police unit conducts daily, long and medium range patrols with the Malian Defense and Security Forces (FDSM), including the Police and the Gendarmerie, in the city of Timbuktu and the surrounding villages.

It also conducts escorts and security operations allowing people to go about their business in serenity.

UNPOL Deputy Chief Voillot congratulated the recipients for the professionalism that allowed them to honorably perform their missions with determination and integrity.

“You will receive the UN medal which is both a testimony and a mark of recognition of the international community for your participation in the efforts and work done for the stabilization and maintenance of peace in Mali,” he said.

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