From firefights to football matches: Life on the front line of UN peacekeeping

Senegalese soldiers of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) – known by its French acronym, MINUSCA – immediately deployed to confront the attackers.

“The battle lasted several hours in very difficult conditions,” recalled Lieutenant Colonel Gérald Aranda Assine, commander of the Senegalese contingent. “It was very demanding psychologically, physically, mentally and morally.”

The blue helmets, part of the Rapid Reaction Force ready to deploy at any time, helped the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) push back the rebels, preventing them from taking Zémio and allowing the elections to go ahead as planned.

“Our soldiers defended their positions,” said Lt. Col. Assine. “At the same time, they managed to protect the refugee gathering places.”

From the battlefield to the football field

Working as a blue helmet involves more than just military intervention. Their duties range from providing free medical care to carrying out patrols and holding meetings with community leaders.

In the west of the country, where the “Retour, Réclamation, Réhabilitation” (3R) armed group agreed to disarm by 2025, peacekeepers are rebuilding ties between people divided by years of fighting.

Former 3R combatants and official soldiers, as well as civilians, participated in community activities, even playing football together, something that would have seemed unthinkable just a few months earlier.

Adverse impact on mental health

The stark differences between the demands placed on peacekeepers mean that much attention must be paid to their welfare and mental health.

Lt Col Assine explains that this means engaging in regular sporting and cultural activities, and maintaining strong relationships with their families, even when they are posted to the most remote areas.

“Seeing your children and then smiling, showing them that everything is OK, even though you are in a difficult environment, is very important,” he said.

‘Now I know that I will be safe’

Meetings with local residents brought a human face to the soldiers’ mission.

Lieutenant Colonel Assine spoke with a former child soldier who managed to escape from territory controlled by armed groups.

“Because the Rapid Reaction Force was there, I knew that my life would not be threatened,” the boy told him. “Now I know that I will be safe.”

Thanks to the work of MINUSCA, schools in Zémio have reopened and the medical campaign has resumed. Residents who fled the violence are returning and, with the mission’s support, children will be able to return to school.

For military commanders, moments like these give full meaning to the mission.

One aspiration: A definitive return to peace

Despite the intensity of military operations, it is the courage of the Central African people that will remain etched in his memory.

“I will take with me the courage and resilience of the people who agreed to welcome the rebels who, not so long ago, were their executioners,” he said. “They have only one aspiration: a definitive return to peace.”

As they prepare to leave CAR, commanders hope the public will remember a contingent that went above and beyond to ensure a safe environment.

“The protection of civilians is absolutely at the heart of our actions,” he said. “There is no nobler mission than being a soldier serving peace, a UN soldier.”