After more than two months of waiting due to persistent tensions in the Middle East, a Cambodian peacekeeping contingent has finally been able to join Lebanon to integrate the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
General Sem Ratana and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces headquarters officially hailed the departure of the 683rd Multifunctional Company during a ceremony held at Phnom Penh International Airport on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
This Cambodian contingent specializes in civil engineering missions and support for UN peacekeeping operations. Deployed in southern Lebanon, the company will have the mission of participating in demining operations and neutralizing unexploded ordnance along the Blue Line, the de facto border separating Lebanon and Israel.
The Cambodian soldiers will also build and repair roads, bridges, shelters, and defensive positions for the UN forces. The contingent will also provide technical support for repairing border barriers and carry out several humanitarian projects aimed at improving infrastructure and living conditions for the local population in their deployment area.
France played an important role in preparing for this mission. Thanks to the action of the Defense Cooperation Mission (DCM), the French Security and Defense Cooperation Directorate (DCSD) contributed to training part of the Cambodian soldiers, particularly in the areas of EOD demining, logistics, and munitions management.
These training programs enabled the Cambodian military to meet the operational standards required for troops engaged under the mandate of the United Nations. For over fifteen years, the French DCSD has supported the training of officers and non-commissioned officers in Cambodia for their participation in international peacekeeping operations.
The three currently deployed cooperating officers within the Defense Cooperation Mission in Cambodia continue a long tradition of military cooperation between Paris and Phnom Penh, which is part of over 80 years of relations between the French and Cambodian armed forces.
