Personnel of the Russian aviation group operating in Sudan as part of an international peacekeeping operation in the region have been awarded with UN medals, a group official said on Wednesday.
A parade was held with Russian peacekeepers in Sudan to mark the 65th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII. The parade was attended by Lt. Gen. Paban Jung Thapa, the commander of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS).
After the parade, Thapa awarded Russian peacekeepers with medals which the United Nations assigns to peacekeepers of the Sudanese mission.
He also praised the Russian peacekeepers for their contribution in establishing peace and security in Sudan.
The Russian peacekeeping contingent in Sudan comprises 123 personnel and four Mi-8 helicopters equipped according to UN and international standards.
Russian peacekeepers provide transport services for UN military observers in Sudan, including accompanying freight, as well as carry out rescue operations.
In March and April, the Russian helicopter unit transported almost 1,800 passengers and over 86 metric tons of cargo as part of preparations for the country's general elections. The Russian peacekeepers also delivered ballots to polling stations in southern Sudan.
The first unit of Russian peacekeepers arrived in Sudan in April 2006. They are expected to stay - with regular rotations - for five or six years. Rotations are held twice a year, with the next rotation scheduled for June.
The UN Mission in Sudan was established in 2005 to monitor the peace agreement between the government in Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in southern Sudan, which ended the longest-running civil war in Africa.
KHARTOUM, May 12 (RIA Novosti)
