The RFMF‘s 7th Rotation (UNDOF Batt 7) to the Golan Heights departed on the morning of Sunday 13th October, 2019 onboard an ASY753 passenger plane, , Royal Australia Air Force (RAAF) from Nadi International Airport bound for Ben Gurion Airport, then to Golan Heights. The contingent is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel (LT COL) Penioni Naliva and part of annual rotation of Fiji men and women serving under the United Nations Dis-engagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights. The majority of the troops deployed on this rotation are from the Third Battalion Fiji Infantry Regiment (3FIR) with a number of specialists from other RFMF Units including medical personnel providing the critical administrative and logistics support.
It was quite an emotional moment for most of the 128 personnel, their close families and friends as all were aware of the challenges that lay in the yearlong tour of duty which is made much more difficult by the unpredictable Syrian situation. Fiji first deployed its RFMF Peacekeepers to the Golan Heights in June 2013, two years after the Syrian Crisis broke out in 2011.
Senior RFMF Officers were also present at the airport to bid farewell to the troops included the Director of Peace Support Operation (DPSO) Colonel Pacolo Luveni, Land Force Units Chief of Staff LT COL Laisani Kinikini, and Commanding Officer 3FIR LT COL Aseri Rokoura. Colonel Barret and senior members from the Australian Defence Force, Headquarters Joint Operations Command were also on-site to ensure that this strategic defense engagement was conducted successfully.
