Luis Lacale Poe spent Christmas Eve in the Congo, with Uruguayan soldiers taking part in a peacekeeping mission

Uruguayan President Luis Lacal Poe returned home on Saturday after spending Christmas Eve and Christmas with the Uruguayan army participating in the United Nations Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (RDC), military sources reported.

“After spending traditional festivals with The blue helmets of the national battalion and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, The President and the delegation of the authorities took him back to Uruguay”, detailing the Uruguayan Army through its social networks.

Shortly before that, Uruguay’s Minister of Defense, Javier GarciaSome photos from the second leg of this summary Christmas visit to the Uruguayan forces, in the city of Congo Bukavu, where Lacalle Poe died on December 25.

As Garcia noted on Twitter: “This Christmas Saturday, from Goma, where we shared Christmas Eve with the Uruguayan Army Battalion, we moved with President Luis Lacal Pou to Bukavu, where we were greeted by members of the Uruguayan Air Force.”

Lacalle Pou arrived on Friday for Celebrating Christmas Eve in Goma (in the northeastern Congolese province of North Kivu), Uruguay – one of the ten countries that contributes the largest number of military personnel to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – has a contingent of 550 blue helmets deployed..

The president traveled on a plane loaned by Argentine businessman Francisco de Narváez, the owner of several investments in Uruguay, and departed from Carrasco International Airport Early Thursday afternoon. walked towards Recife Airport, to northern Brazil on a three-hour flight, then 12 others traveled to the capital Rwanda, Kigali.

In Bukavu, the capital of the neighboring province of South Kivu, about 50 Uruguayan soldiers are stationed.

Returning to Uruguay, the president will take the same route he took on the way out, but also vice versa with the plane of the Argentine businessman. it is expected that It will arrive at 2 a.m. on Sunday, December 26 at Air Base 1 at Carrasco International Airport.

Of all the peace missions in which Uruguay participates, The most numerous is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published since 2001.

According to MONUSCO, Uruguay was until last October 21 with 819 blue helmets It is located in the African country.

in this time, There are no positive cases of COVID-19 among Uruguayan nationals in peacekeeping missionsThe newspaper reported Country. However, there is an effective staff that is isolated as a precaution, but does not treat symptoms.

Lacalle Pou’s visit came after CLast Monday, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for one year.

The provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri in particular suffered from the first and second wars against the Congo (1996-2003).Currently, the civilian population is a frequent victim of massacres and attacks perpetrated by the numerous armed groups operating in the area.

Although there is a United Nations peacekeeping mission, which has deployed more than 14,000 soldiers, those areas were years immersed in a conflict fueled by the actions of these rebel militias and the attacks of Congolese army soldiers.

(With information from EFE)

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