STORY: SIERRA LEONE - TROOPS DEPART TRT: 01:25 SOURCE: AU/UN IST RESTRICTIONS: This media asset is free

for editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is not to be sold on and is restricted for other purposes. All enquiries to news@auunist.org CREDIT REQUIRED: AU/UN IST LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS DATELINE: APRIL 2, 2013 SHOTLIST: 1. WIDE SHOT OF LUNGI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 2. WIDE SHOT OF MILITARY BAGS LOADED ON A TROLLEY AT THE AIRPORT 3. MEDIUM SHOT OF BAGS 4. MEDIUM SHOT OF UNITED NATIONS PLANES TAIL 5. WIDE SHOT OF UNITED NATIONS AIRPLANE ON THE TARMAC 6. MEDIUM SHOT OF BAGS BEING LOADED ONTO PLANE 7. WIDE SHOT OF SOLDIERS WALKING TOWARDS AIRCRAFT 8. MEDIUM SHOT OF SOLDIERS WALKING 9. WIDE SHOT OF SOLDIERS SALUTING AND BOARDING AIRCRAFT 10. MEDIUM SHOT OF SOLDIERS SALUTING AND BOARDING AIRCRAFT 11. WIDE SHOT OF SOLDIERS SEATED INSIDE AIRCRAFT 12. CLOSEUP SHOT OF SOLDIER LOOKING INTO CAMERA 13. WIDE SHOT OF LT. COL. ABUBAKARR CONTEH WALKING DOWN AIRCRAFT AISLE 14. SOUNDBITE (English) .LT COLONEL ABUBAKARR CONTEH, SIERRA LEONE CONTINGENT COMMANDER, AMISOM: The guys have been excited for too long, the excitement was too high entering the plane, you will see that they are calming down and am sure they are all happy to go and execute what they have been trained for. 15. WIDE SHOT OF SOLDIERS SEATED IN PLANE 16. WIDE SHOT OF UNITED NATIONS PLANE TAXIING ON RUNWAY 17. MEDIUM SHOT OF PLANE CLIMBING AFTER TAKEOFF

STORY: Soldiers with the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) departed from Lungi International Airport in Sierra Leone yesterday (April 2, 2013) en route to Somalia, where they will become the latest country on the continent to join the ranks of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The advance team from the Sierra Leonean battalion-strong contingent will land in Wajir, Kenya today (April 3) before proceeding overland to southern Somalia where they will operate alongside the Kenyan contingent. The Sierra Leonean deployment will permit the Kenyans to withdraw one battalion from the sector as per UN Security Council Resolution 2036 (2012). The West African troops will form AMISOMs fifth national contingent, after Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda. After a civil war that lasted from 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone has worked at transforming its army into a professional force that is now capable of contributing to international peacekeeping efforts. The 850 men that the RSLAF is sending to Somalia will be the largest-ever deployment of its troops since the war. Sierra Leone sent 100 troops to the UN/AU mission in Darfur. The guys have been excited for too long, the excitement was too high entering the plane, you will see that they are calming down and am sure they are all happy to go and execute what they have been trained for, said Lt. Colonel Abubakarr Conteh, the Commander of the Contingent. The AU Peace and Security Council authorized the integration of a contingent of RSLAF into AMISOM early last year. Since then, AMISOM troops in support of the Federal Government of Somalia have pushed Al Qaeda affiliated al Shabaab terrorists from much of south-central Somalia. AMISOM officials say the RSLAFs integration into AMISOM signifies the commitment across Africa to stabilizing Somalia. ENDS