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Olive trees have made significant contributions to the Lebanese history, culture and identity, while providing for centuries the oil for the lamps of the saints and the food for the farmers. The very same vegetation has also made quite an important contribution to building bonds of friendship between UNIFIL and the communities in south Lebanon, especially in circumstances like the one in Blida. UNIFIL Radio recently visited the south-eastern Lebanese town to highlight this special bond and to show how UNIFIL peacekeepers are working to maintain peace in the area.
UNIFIL mandate has to be approved every year at the end of August and that is exactly what happened on 28 August this year where the 15 member states of the UN Security Council were unanimous on renewing our mandate for one more year. We, in UNIFIL Radio, asked the Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col to speak on the latest renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate.
UNIFIL Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Jean-Pierre Fagué says he is very proud of the work of UNIFIL peacekeepers in the Beirut Port and surrounding areas, carried out within a special and temporary deployment. He was speaking with UNIFIL Radio at the peak of their mission in support of Lebanese efforts in the wake of the tragic 4 August explosions that lasted from 27 September to 23 October 2020. They removed debris in the port and cleared streets and…
Summing up a search and rescue operation carried out on 14 September 2020, UNIFIL Maritime Task Force Commander, Rear Admiral Sergio Salgueirinho, says that in total the lives of 36 individuals were saved. Unfortunately, there was also another person who was not that lucky. It was a long day full of drama and self-sacrificing rescue efforts. It was not for the first time UNIFIL Maritime Task Force, deployed in 2006 at the request of the Lebanese…
UNIFIL Ghanian Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Atuluk Abbas, talks about monitoring the Blue Line or rather a part of it passing through the battalion’s area of responsibility. Despite the crisis triggered by the Coronavirus, Ghanaian peacekeepers conduct dozens of patrols daily in the southern extremes of Lebanon to maintain peace and calm in the region. Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud.
As the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said, the legendary strength of the Lebanese people now faces an additional test. Throughout its history, the city of Beirut has been destroyed and rebuilt seven times. While still mourning the dead and those still missing, Lebanese citizens are determined to rebuild their shattered homes and businesses with the hope of bringing their city back to its former glory and the UN, and UNIFIL as a part…
Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest Nanbigne, the head of UNIFIL verification team dealing with the rotation during the COVID-19 crisis, says it was a formidable task to arrange the departure of thousands of peacekeepers who had completed their tour of duty in the south of Lebanon. And no less easy was the task of deploying thousands of new blue helmets in such a manner that would exclude the spread of the deadly virus. Nevertheless, this has been…
All along the Blue Line, almost daily, various activities take place – some of which can be misinterpreted by one or another party… The primary task of Liaison mechanism, established under the aegis of UNIFIL in December 2006, is to prevent and address any misunderstanding or a problem from escalating into a conflict between Lebanon and Israel. Liaison mechanism is not apparently visible but has proven to be extremely important for maintaining…
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<p style="text-align:start; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:15.4px"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="color:#212121"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="white-space:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">More than six months have passed since the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line began. Since then, the lives of thousands of people have changed drastically. The south has witnessed destruction, deaths, injuries, and</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px"> large-scale dislocation of the population.</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px"> <span style="color:#212121">And people already facing challenges because of the economic crisis continue to suffer.</span> UNIFIL Chief of Staff </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">Brigadier General Cedric du Gardin has seen the immense transformation in south Lebanon after 17 years of unprecedented calm and stability, as this is the fifth time that he has served with UNIFIL.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p>In this episode, we will sit down with UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti to bring you the latest updates about recent developments in south Lebanon. He will give us insights into the latest incident involving peacekeepers from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), UNIFIL’s continued patrolling activities amid the increase of tension along the Blue Line, as well as the relationship between UNIFIL peacekeepers and the people in south Lebanon since October 8<sup>th</sup>.</p>
<p style="text-align:start; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:15.4px"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="color:#212121"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="white-space:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">When the 2006 war ended and the Security Council enhanced UNIFIL’s mandate with resolution 1701, there was a clear need for </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">a bridge between Lebanon and Israel,</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px"> since <span style="color:#333333">they do not talk to each other directly.</span><b> </b><span style="color:#333333">On 11 December of that year, in a Tripartite meeting, a Liaison and Coordination Arrangement was agreed by UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces. Since then, UNIFIL has acted as a mediator between the two sides,</span> and UNIFIL’s Liaison Branch became part of this mechanism. </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro</span></span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:16.799999px">, UNIFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander,<span style="color:#333333"> acts as an interlocutor himself and guides the mission’s overall liaison efforts.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align:start; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:15.4px"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="color:#212121"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="white-space:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:14pt"><span style="line-height:19.599998px">Since its establishment in 1978, and then the enhancement of the mission after the 2006 war, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has enjoyed a very strong relationship with local communities in south Lebanon. In addition to their operational activities under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL peacekeepers have also been helping the local communities with different kinds of support, including development projects and donations. <span style="color:#212121">With the beginning of the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line on October 8<sup>th</sup>, this support became more urgent as people already facing challenges because of the economic crisis continue to suffer due to the current situation.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p><a href="https://on.soundcloud.com/oBu5npDG9UnEWuqy6"><strong><i>Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud</i></strong></a></p>
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<p style="margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:105%">Since the exchanges of fire began on October 8<sup>th</sup>, south Lebanon has gone through enormous transformation and challenges. The 17 years of unprecedented security and stability that the region had enjoyed since 2006 was violently interrupted. Destruction, deaths, injuries, and large-scale population relocation are the current reality. Despite all that, UNIFIL and its peacekeepers remain committed to their mission in pursuit of eventual peace, and to implementing their mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1701. UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. General Aroldo Lázaro, who has been working alongside his peacekeeping colleagues each day to prevent a devastating escalation, says the peacekeepers have been operating under difficult conditions since the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line began.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:11px"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/peacekeeping-in-a-crisis?si=d10af475…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><strong><i>Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud</i></strong></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Since the 8<sup>th</sup> of October, daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line have drastically changed the situation in south Lebanon. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="line-height:105%"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro, Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping force in the south, has of course been following developments closely, as the mission works to de-escalate tensions and restore stability to the region. We were able to sit down with him recently to find out what has been happening, the challenges peacekeepers face, and the ways the mission has adapted to continue to implement its mandated tasks under Resolution 1701.</span></span></span></p>
<p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/unifilradio/question-time-with-lt-general-aroldo…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><strong><i>Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud</i></strong></a></p>
<p>In this episode, UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti sits down with Salam from the South to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in south Lebanon and what the mission is doing to address the current challenges.</p>
<p><a href="https://on.soundcloud.com/EhmHo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><i>Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud</i></strong></a></p>
<p>The sounds of the explosions increase as we get closer to the Italian base in Al Mansouri one January morning. The firefights along the Blue Line have grown more intense. When the exchanges of fire are close like this, all UNIFIL personnel, military and civilian, must stay inside UN bases. So, the scheduled patrol by Italian peacekeepers this morning has to wait until the situation gets calmer. After two hours, the patrol gets the permission to start and we accompany them on a patrol in their area of operations, the southernmost area along the Lebanese coast.</p>
<p><a href="https://on.soundcloud.com/r92Xp"><strong><i>Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud</i></strong></a></p>
<p style="text-align:start"><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="color:#212121"><span style="font-style:normal"><span style="font-weight:400"><span style="white-space:normal"><span style="text-decoration:none"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:1.2">Since the exchanges of fire began along the Blue Line on October 8<sup>th</sup>, UNIFIL peacekeepers have been operating within very different conditions than before. But still, they are performing the mission’s operational activities under UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to restore stability along the Blue Line and prevent the outbreak of a wider and more devastating conflict. Patrolling is a critical part of these operational activities.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align:start"><a href="https://on.soundcloud.com/p2Pak" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"><strong><i>Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud</i></strong></a></p>
<p style="text-align:start; margin-bottom:11px">On 11 December 2006, in a Tripartite meeting, a Liaison and Coordination Arrangement was agreed by UNIFIL, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces. Lebanon and Israel don’t talk to each other directly, so UNIFIL acts as a mediator. Since October 8th, this mechanism became central to the mission’s work. The two conflicting parties have been communicating with UNIFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander, Lt. General Aroldo Lazaro, and the Liaison Branch, to deliver messages to each other. Some of these messages have been of paramount importance, not only to deescalate tensions but also to prevent misunderstandings which could have led to much wider conflict.</p>
<p><a href="https://on.soundcloud.com/3VMPZ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><i>Here is the link to full story in SoundCloud</i></strong></a></p>
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UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army recently conducted a joint exercise, called Steel Storm, combining armoured vehicles and live fire. Joint exercises are a key part of UNIFIL’s mandate under United Nations Security Council…
UNIFIL is in south Lebanon to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and part of its mandate is to support the Lebanese Armed Forces operating in the area. Recently, an operations building, as well as a briefing and…
On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, marked each year on September 21 st, UNIFIL’s Radio programme “Salam from the South” asked people around south Lebanon what they think about peace, and how can it be achieved…
UNIFIL’s main mission is to maintain peace and stability along the Blue Line and throughout its area of operations, according to Security Council resolution 1701. However, where it has the capacity and upon request from the…
Over the past two years, UNIFIL’s area of operations in south Lebanon has witnessed several events and developments. In this episode of “Salam from the South”, UNIFIL spokesperson Mr. Andrea Tenenti will shed light on the…
The unprecedented socio-economic crisis has affected south Lebanon as well as the whole country very badly. The health care system has not been spared. For that reason, UNIFIL military doctors are extending a helping hand to…
Naila Jaffal implores people to be careful around mine fields and not move the safety markers placed by UNIFIL de-mining peacekeepers. She knows the dangers all too well. A tragic mine-clearing accident in Alma Shaab village…
Since 2007, UNIFIL has regularly implemented projects in local communities to help make it easier to accomplish its mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, as well as to improve the living conditions of a…
Recently the Lebanese Armed Forces new “Model Regiment” Headquarters was inaugurated in Srebbine, south Lebanon. The project funded by the European Union will house the basic components of the Model Regiment, a new infantry…