UN complains to Kazakhstan after troops seen wearing UN helmets amid unrest
- Photos on social media showed soldiers in Kazakhstan city wearing UN peacekeepers’ blue helmets
- The Central Asian country is reeling in the wake of the worst violence in its recent history
The United Nations on Monday criticised Kazakhstan after government soldiers there were seen wearing the UN peacekeepers’ blue helmets during last week’s violent unrest.
“We have conveyed our concern to the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan directly on this issue, and we’ve received assurances from them that this issue had been addressed,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
He added: “Any UN troop and police-contributing countries are to use UN insignia only when they are performing their mandated tasks as UN peacekeepers in the context of their deployment within a UN peacekeeping operation, as mandated by the UN Security Council.”
Photos posted on social media showed several soldiers in Kazakhstan’s main city of Almaty dressed in military fatigues and wearing blue helmets with UN insignia.
Kazakhstan issued an awkward statement in response, saying the helmets were the only part of UN gear worn by its soldiers.