89 Republic of Fiji Military Forces personnel have been deployed this morning for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights in Syria.
The total number of RFMF personnel that will be deployed is 134 together with 10 specialists from the Ministry of Health but the remaining troops will depart at a later date.
All have been vaccinated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Aseri Rokoura and Reverend Major Ilaitia Tuwere were among the first to be vaccinated at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks last month.
Rokoura says he wanted to lead the way to show the troops that the vaccine was safe.
The Director of Peace Support Operations, Colonel Pacolo Luveni says that the United Nations Secretary General requested the contingent to be vaccinated before deployment.
Colonel Luveni expressed his gratitude to the WHO COVAX facility and the Fijian Government through the Ministry of Health for providing the vaccines.
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