The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) has participated in several international peacekeeping missions this year.

The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Frans Kapofi, spoke about these during a briefing at the Government Information Centre, where he presented the ministry's activities carried out this year.

As part of its international obligations, Namibia is currently participating in the UN Mission in South Sudan and Mozambique and has visited the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on a reconnaissance mission to observe the volatile situation there.

The NDF, in collaboration with NamPol, also conducted anti-poaching operations in the three major national parks, namely Etosha, Mangetti, and Bwabwata, as part of its role to help the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism.

Furthermore, Minister Kapofi says the NDF has maintained its deployment in the Zambezi Region in areas such as Kapani, Kasika, and Linyanti to combat illegal border crossings and other cross-border crimes.

On the social responsibility front, the Ministry still provides counselling services to veterans for necessary psychosocial support.

N$138,000 was paid towards medical assistance and counselling services for veterans.

In addition, the NDF also assists in disaster relief programmes, including airlifting and transporting health officials to remote areas for vaccination campaigns.

"The ministry has also provided assistance to other civil authorities and civil powers in the provision of relief in times of disaster. We have had floods this year, and in the north, we took preventive measures to warn the authorities in the country about the upcoming flood. We flew into Angola, of course, in collaboration with the Angolan authorities to make sure that they understood the magnitude of that flood," Kapofi added.

In terms of training activities, the ministry is busy preparing for its 17th recruitment intake.

The selection process has already been concluded, and the successful candidates have been informed.