19 Feb 2014

Fiji may send peacekeepers to Africa

7:31 pm on 19 February 2014

The Fiji defence minister, Joketani Cokanasiga, says many countries have asked Fiji to provide peacekeepers and the government is looking at the possibility of sending soldiers to Africa.

Fiji Live reports the countries being considered include Libya and Liberia, but Mr Cokanasiga says these are just some of the war-torn places seeking Fiji's help in peace building.

He also confirmed that the Blackrock camp in Nadi, near the international airport, is to be used for the training of soldiers, police and corrections personnel for peace building duties.

The minister says Fiji is slowly shifting away from peace keeping into peace building and the Blackrock camp in Nadi will allow the personnel to more easily fly out of the country when an emergency arises.