Thirty-seven trainees from the National Centre for Peacekeeping Forces (NPMEC) are training to rescue victims of natural disasters at the naval command in preparation for a UN “blue helmet” mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2022, a senior official said.

While observing a training session on September 1, NPMEC director-general Sem Sovanny said the 37 blue helmet soldiers had been training for the past few weeks, starting on August 18.

He said that after they complete this current training course, they will have to continue to train in other skills such as the use of ferries and floating bridges.

“The training in these essential skills will be applied to the UN mission in the Central African Republic in 2022,” he said.

Sovanny added that in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19, all trainees and coaches have to be tested before being allowed to train or teach. Prime Minister Hun Sen has also provided them with some inflatable boats for training exercises.

An official who did not wish to be named said NPMEC has not received any notification yet from the UN regarding the rotation request for Cambodian blue helmet forces on missions in CAR, but that was their expectation though the specific date and means of transport have not been established yet by the UN.

“In general, the Cambodian blue helmet forces have always trained for all tests required by UN technical experts in charge of peacekeeping missions before they are deployed at the request of the UN,” he said.

The official added that at this time all NPMEC forces were fully capable of carrying out their missions using their respective skills in accordance with the actual needs of the host country.