Sainiani Boila 
Hon. Pio Tikoduadua
Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua says the Republic of Fiji Military Forces will make every effort to ensure that troops deployed on peacekeeping missions will have access to armoured protection.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, he said this would include personal carriers or other similar equipment, to ensure their safety in high-risk environments.
In response to concerns about the safety of Fijian troops deployed to the Middle East for a peacekeeping mission, Tikoduadua assured the Parliament and the public that the safety of soldiers remained a top priority.
“In every troop, every soldier or officer that we deploy to the Middle East or any part of the world, we would like to see them come back, so Force protection measures are an important and an integral part of the RFMF and also the Force and government would like to do that.”
The government’s plan to deploy at least seven of the 14 bushmasters acquired last year to the mission area has been hindered due to restrictions imposed by the United Nations and the governments of Syria and Israel, which limit the number of vehicles allowed in the demarcated area.
Despite the limitations, Tikoduadua reiterated that the ultimate goal was to deploy the Bushmasters to bolster troop safety.
Tikoduadua also said that while the role of post-mobile reserves for UNDOF had initially been pursued, the opportunity had unfortunately slipped through.
Nevertheless, he said the Bushmasters remained crucial to the protection of Fijian soldiers in peacekeeping missions.
