The noble sacrifice of peacekeeping troops

THE death of at least 14 UN peacekeeping troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo is another tragic reminder that these humanitarian missions are not without considerable risk.

A “large number” of troops were killed or wounded in the attack in the North Kivu province late on Thursday.

We have a long and proud tradition of participating in these missions, a relationship that continues today — four members of our Defence Forces are part of the DRC mission.

There are many more — around 440 — involved in peace-keeping missions in Lebanon or the Golan Heights where

tensions are heightened after US president Donald Trump’s widely-criticised Jerusalem decision this week.

Should that decision jeopardise the safety of UN peacekeepers serving in the region, then it would be yet another reason to despair of his leadership. It will be of little comfort to the families of those killed on Thursday but the lives were given to try to resolve one of the most persistent tragedies in our world. They were lost in what must surely be one of our noblest challenges — peacekeeping in the darkest corners of our world.