Canada has begun withdrawing its military personnel from the CAR, according to a statement from the UN Mission in the CAR (MINURCA). The statement said the withdrawal of the Canadian contingent serving in MINURCA started on Thursday with the departure of 18 officers. The withdrawal would be completed by 20 December, it said. Forty-eight Canadian officers have been serving in the UN peacekeeping force since April 1998. The withdrawal of the Canadian contingent was in accordance with the planned gradual reduction of MINURCA, as recently recommended by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and approved by the Security Council, the statement added. MINURCA’s mandate expires on 15 February, 2000.
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