Peacekeepers turned ground-breakers in the Central African Republic

Operating an excavator, bulldozer or wheel loader does not come naturally to Private Chief Ryan Herdhika, a motorcycle enthusiast and soldier in the Indonesian Army’s 3rd Combat Engineering Battalion. But it has just passed a heavy technical equipment test and will be transferred next month to the United Nations Multidimensional Security Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) as part of the Indonesian peacekeeping force there.

“It will be the first time in my life that I will go abroad, and I am happy that my first trip is as a UN peacekeeper, not a tourist,” said Chief Private Herdhika, while on the grader motor to practice how to level. ground at the training ground in Sentul, at the peace center of the Indonesian military.

With approximately 2,700 troops on duty in seven UN peacekeeping missions, Indonesia is the eighth largest contributor to international peacekeeping operations.

UNIC Indonesia/Rizky Ashar

Strong foundations for a fragile peace process

Under the UN’s Triangular Partnership Program (TPP) – which brings together countries that provide trainers and resources, and troop-contributing countries that deploy to peacekeeping missions – military engineers who has extensive experience in operating heavy equipment in peacekeeping missions from the Japan Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) taught 20 Indonesian soldiers.

Indonesian Armed Forces personnel who complete the training will use their skills to help build and repair UN mission and host country infrastructure including supply routes and camp sites, and support national recovery efforts. following natural disasters in the Central African Republic. MINUSCA has been in the country since 2014, with a mandate to protect civilians and support a fragile peace process and government transition.

“This is a very difficult course, having to learn to use a variety of equipment in just nine weeks,” said Lieutenant Colonel Tsuyoshi Toyoda, Commander of the JGSDF Training Group. “The trainees worked hard, passed the test and they are ready to go.”

While there are commercial trainers available to teach these skills in the civilian setting, the complexities of UN peacekeeping operations require trainers with peacekeeping experience.

“In the normal field of operations, the operators are important in one type of device, but here we need soldiers to learn and operate six types of devices,” said Colonel Herman Harnas, Director of International Cooperation at the Peacekeeping Center. of Indonesia. “In a peacekeeping situation, you also don’t have the luxury of having a separate officer for maintaining vehicles – so the soldiers need to learn that too.”

This is the first time such a training course will be held in Indonesia, although similar courses have been held in Brazil, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, Uganda and Viet Nam, countries that are also important contributors to UN peacekeeping efforts.

Improving the readiness and effectiveness of peacekeeping missions is at the core of the TPP’s raison d’être. But the role of a peacekeeping engineer working in UN missions requires more than specialized technical knowledge, and the TPP reflects the harsh reality of the security environment.

“Our soldiers also learned the importance of following procedures, which is key in emergency situations, when they need to act quickly,” said Colonel Harnas. “Soldiers are now able to deploy to MINUSCA, one of the UN’s most complex peacekeeping missions.”

UNIC Indonesia/Rizky Ashar

A specific set of skills

The UN is committed to continuing the mission, medical and technical capabilities of uniformed peacekeepers, said Rick Martin, Director of Special Operations at the UN Department of Operational Support in New York.

“As we face new operational challenges within UN peacekeeping operations, high-capacity units in technology and other key areas of capability will need to continue to be a key area if we are to close capacity gaps and improve the performance of UN peacekeeping operations,” he added.

Next year, the UN and Japanese trainers will return to Sentul to conduct a training of trainers, this time training future equipment trainers from soldiers from all regions that contribute to peacekeeping. At that time, Private Chief Herdhika will operate the facility in the Central African Republic. “But after I come back, I hope to be able to pass on my knowledge and experience to my future peace colleagues as well,” he said.