A contingent of Gambian army has left for Darfur region in Sudan on a peacekeeping mission.

The group of 66 soldiers will replace another batch of Gambian soldiers that have returned home on Wednesday following the end of their tour of duty. 

The Gambia has been contributing peacekeepers from both the army and police since conflict started in the trouble  Darfur region in Sudan.

Sudan has been ravaged by 17 years of civil war which resulted in the birth of  South Sundan as independent state in 2011. But South Sundan being the youngest African nation has also been embroiled in a brutal civil war after independence. 

The Sudan’s government and the rebel groups in Darfur have recently signed a peace accord aimed at bringing an end to the country’s conflict. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba