Our trip began on a Monday morning in Naqoura, as we make our way to a base home to Ghanaian peacekeepers in Al Qawzah, southwestern Lebanon, along the Blue Line. The road, once bustling with activity, now lies deserted. All we meet was destruction in the distance as we pass through Alma Shaab, Dhaira, Yarin, and Al Bustan. We arrive at the peacekeeping base, where Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman, the Ghanaian battalion Commander, greets us outside his office. Fortunately, the morning saw a decrease in the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line. It is not always the case.
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271 - Salam from the south - Peacekeeping in a Crisis: Ghanaian Peacekeepers
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270 - Salam from the South - Half a year of crisis in south Lebanon
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 large-scale dislocation of the population. And people already facing challenges because of the economic crisis continue to suffer. UNIFIL Chief of Staff 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.