OTTAWA,
ON, June 30, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, the
Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs
and Associate Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Bill
Blair, Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement
to mark 60 years since the end of the United Nations (UN) Operation
in Congo.
"After 75 years of colonization, Congo gained independence from Belgium in June
1960, but the transition to nationhood was difficult.
Political conflicts, an army mutiny, foreign mercenary forces,
inter-communal tensions, and widespread violence led Belgium to redeploy troops to Congo.
"By mid-July of that year, the Congolese government had asked
the international community to intervene. Soon after, United
Nations peacekeepers were sent to help restore order and stability,
and to facilitate the departure of Belgian troops. The mission was
complicated in 1961 by the attempted secession of the Province of
Katanga and the resulting civil war, as well as by Cold War
rivalries.
"A UN contingent, that at times numbered more than 20,000
personnel, served in Congo during
the four-year operation. The mission included a significant
civilian element to assist in restoring basic public
services.
"Among the UN troops, there were 300 Canadians serving at any
given time, and more than 1,900 throughout the course of the
operation. With Francophone peacekeepers in high demand, the United
Nations asked Canada to send
French-speaking specialists to participate in the large mission.
Some of these Canadian officers also held key positions in the
peacekeeping mission's command.
"Among them, Lieutenant-Colonel Jean
Berthiaume of the Royal 22e Régiment and Brigadier-General
Jacques Dextraze, the Canadian
Army's Commander Eastern Quebec Area, served as chief of staff of
the United Nations forces in Congo
at different times. For their significant efforts, they were
respectively named an Officer and a Commander of the Order of the
British Empire. Another Canadian, Lieutenant J.F.T.A. Liston of the Royal 22e Régiment,
was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his
courageous rescue of a wounded Congolese soldier from a
minefield.
"Tragically, 249 service members lost their lives during the
mission, including three Canadians. UN Secretary General
Dag Hammarskjöld lost his life on
17 September 1961, in a plane crash
on his way to talks on the cessation of hostilities between
Congolese and Katangan forces.
"The United Nations Operation in the Congo ended 60 years ago today. On this
occasion, all Canadians are invited to reflect on the important
role that Canadian peacekeepers have played in trying to bring
order and stability to Congo and
around the world. We honour their sacrifice and the sacrifice of
all those who work in the service of peace."
Associated Links:
The Congo - Veterans Affairs Canada
SOURCE Veterans Affairs Canada - Ottawa