The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Ghana Battalion (GHANBATT) 11, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Dominic Ampomah, has held its end-of-tour Religious and Thanksgiving Parade at the Battalion Headquarters in Bentiu on Sunday 25 August 2024.

The event was held under the theme “My God, My Gratitude - Praise the Lord.” The GHANBATT Imam, Lieutenant (Lt) Sahmu-deen Ridwan, and Chaplain Lt Reverend Jonathan Mensah officiated the Religious Parade. In delivering the Quranic Sermon, the Imam urged everyone to liken their journey on earth to their tour of duty in South Sudan with UNMISS. He emphasised that, unlike their mission in South Sudan, which has a clear commencement and completion date, their duty tour on earth has no established date. He indicated that no one knows when, how, or where their journey on earth will come to an end. He therefore urged all present to be grateful to God, reconcile with each other if there have been any wrongdoings, and live their lives for God because tomorrow is never promised, as written in Quran Chapter 2 verse 281.

In his sermon, the Chaplain expressed that thanksgiving and gratitude to God demand focus, intention, practice, and care. He noted that living a life of gratitude is widely recognised as being of great benefit to the individual. He added that forgiveness is a gift or an act of kindness towards one another and should be part of their daily lives.

The Guest of Honour for the service, the UNMISS Sector Unity Head of Field Office, Mr. Kwame Dwamena–Aboagye, commended GHANBATT 11 for its resilience, professionalism, and dedication to hard work since its insertion in the mission towards achieving the UN Mandate. He further praised GHANBATT for its continuous commitment to international peace and security. Recounting his 18 years of service with the UN and experience in war-torn countries, he urged everyone to continue to play their role as peace ambassadors when they return home.

The Commanding Officer (CO) UNMISS GHANBATT 11, Lt Col Dominic Ampomah, in his remarks, expressed joy and gratitude to God for seeing GHANBATT 11 through a successful tour despite the challenges encountered. He added that GHANBATT 11 commenced its mission with God, quoting Proverbs 3:6: “In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This, he said, necessitated GHANBATT’s first 3-day fasting and prayers from 19 to 21 October 2023, the second from 3 to 5 January 2024, and finally from 21 to 23 August 2024.

He stated that spiritual exercises, including religious parades, have been the basis of the divine grace enjoyed throughout GHANBATT’s tour of duty. He noted that the physical and spiritual protection of GHANBATT during numerous operational activities was reason enough to remain grateful to God.

He reiterated that GHANBATT has been successful in achieving high performance in its operational responsibilities. In terms of administration, GHANBATT performed beyond expectations, especially in the areas of Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activities, including veterinary outreach programs, troops’ administration such as the successful conduct of the leave program, and the effective management of health cases. He maintained that in the area of logistics, GHANBATT distinguished itself by completing numerous projects and adhering strictly to the maintenance of Contingent-Owned Equipment, which reflected in high performance in all COE inspections conducted during the period. These achievements, he said, were made possible through discipline, hard work, professionalism, and the initiatives of the troops.

He thanked God for his numerous blessings, evident in the promotion of 151 personnel out of 700 all ranks during the tour of duty. He expressed his appreciation to the personnel for their dedication to duty, commitment to responsibilities, and professionalism, which contributed to his success as the Commanding Officer and his promotion from the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel. He took the opportunity to thank the Military High Command for his promotion and pledged to remain loyal, dedicated to duty, and committed to his responsibilities.