First UN Pakistani peacekeepers arrive in Sierra Leone: UN Mission

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) today announced that an advance party of 265 Pakistani troops are now in the country, marking the first arrival of the more than 4,000 Pakistani peacekeepers expected to join the Mission.

The troops are scheduled to arrive in stages, from now until 22 August, UNAMSIL said.

In other news, the World Bank is scheduled to convene a donor's meeting on 11-12 June in Paris to mobilize funds for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process in Sierra Leone. The UN will be represented by UNAMSIL chief Oluyemi Adeniji and other senior officials.

So far, the donor countries and organizations that are planning to attend include Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, Switzerland, China, the Canadian development agency (CIDA), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).