CYPRUS: First blue beret from Ghana deployed in UNFICYP

Ghana’s flag was raised at the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus headquarters as the first Ghanaian UNFICYP officer, Sergeant Rebecca Owusu-Yirenkyiat, assumed her duties.

UNFICYP spokesperson Aleem Siddique told the Cyprus News Agency that Ghana is among the 10 first contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions worldwide since it became an independent state. He said that over 80,000 Ghanaians have served so far as UN peacekeepers.

Ghana currently contributes some 3,000 peacekeepers to 8 UN peacekeeping missions. This is the first time that a UN peacekeeper of Ghana is deployed in UNFICYP, even though 10 Ghanaians are currently serving in the British contingent.

 Comprising military and civilian personnel from various contributing countries, UNFICYP arrived in Cyprus in March 1964 after intercommunal fighting broke out.

The mandate of the force is renewed every six months by the Security Council and is one of the world’s longest-serving UN forces.