A contingent of 225 Pakistan Army troops has left for Burundi to perform duties as UN peacekeepers, an official statement said. Ethnic strife and rebellion claimed more than 200,000 lives over the past 12 years in Burundi, a tiny African state with a population of six million people. Pakistan, the largest contributor to the peacekeeping missions, has a presence of some 1,200 troops in this land-locked country. Pakistani troops have also been performing in the engineering, medical and aviation fields in addition to peacekeeping operations. There are over 10,000 Pakistani troops and other military professionals performing peacekeeping duties under the United Nations in seven countries, including Burundi, neighbouring Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Ivory Coast. Nepal, South Africa, Jordan, Mozambique, Kenya are the other countries whose troops are working in Burundi. Pakistani engineers have taken part in construction of Burundi's infrastructure. Burundi has been inching towards stability, witnessing the end of a four-year transitional phase and swearing of Pierre Nkurunziza as president after his 'Forces for the Defense of Democracy' won the National Assembly and Senate elections earlier this year.
