Four helicopters and 32 Russian peacekeepers arrived in Sierra Leone over the weekend, while the remainder of the Russian forces are expected by 7 August, Befecadu said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on 23 June ordering the dispatch of a 115-strong military contingent and four helicopters to join the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone. A 10-man advance party arrived in Freetown on 24 July.
Meanwhile, a Jordanian battalion of UN peacekeepers is supporting a local primary school with 350 students at Rokel Bridge, some 10 km north of Masiaka. “They are helping with food and school equipment, from desks to stationery,” Befecadu said. Local people have renamed the school, the Jordan Primary School.
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