Peace-keepers coming home

New Zealand military personnel are pulling out of Mozambique and Sierra Leone today after many years of de-mining work and peace-keeping missions in the war-ravaged African nations.

Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, Major General Lou Gardiner, said the last two New Zealand personnel would be withdrawn today.

Twenty-six New Zealand Defence Force personnel have been working in the de-mining programme in Mozambique since 1993, and 28 peacekeepers have been deployed to Sierra Leone since 1998 as part of United Nations security missions.

"Over the years their ability to quickly adjust to sometimes a hostile environment and provide support to the United Nations has been tremendous," Maj Gen Gardiner said.

The Mozambique Government has now wholly taken over the accelerated de-mining Programme, while in Sierra Leone the security situation has stabilised enough to allow the UN Assistance Mission to withdraw by the end of 2005.

New Zealand soldiers and personnel remain deployed on 19 other overseas missions, including Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific.

- NZPA