Zambian major describes gender-balanced engagement platoon, improved PPE, and focus on women and children in CAR deployment
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Summary
Major Sifa Mwerwa Akalaruka, of the Zambian contingent, said her engagement platoon in Menisca, Central African Republic, is split roughly 50/50 between women and men, focuses on interacting with at-risk civilians (women and children), and has new PPE that she says fits female anatomy and reduces perceived load.
Major Sifa Mwerwa Akalaruka, identified in the transcript as a member of the Zambian contingent, described her role as an engagement platoon commander and matron during deployment to Menisca in the Central African Republic. She said the platoon’s work centers on civilian contact and protection, particularly for women and children.
"I'm in charge of interactions with the civil population," Major Akalaruka said, adding that "when there's a conflict, usually the children and women, they suffer a lot." She summarized the unit’s core duties as: "Our tasks are very simple, which is to to observe, engage, and report."
Akalaruka said the engagement platoon includes both male and female personnel and described the unit as evenly split: "So there's 50% of, females, 50% of male." She argued that the mixed composition helps the unit address problems affecting both men and women.
She also discussed equipment: according to her testimony, previous jackets were not designed for female anatomy, but the new personal protective equipment provided to the unit "is able to accommodate, because of the way the the plate is designed." She said the weight of the plate—"the 10 kgs"—is not noticeable with the new design: "Even the weight that is there, the 10 kgs, you can't feel it."
In a short exchange with an unidentified interlocutor, the speakers discussed local boundaries and described a middle area as "no man's land," noting that settlements beyond that line mean "you are in Sudan." Akalaruka reiterated that interaction with the community and at-risk populations remains central to her duties.
She closed her remarks with a personal note on the demands of the role, saying it is a challenging career with frequent moves; she said she maintains contact with her family by video call and helps her five daughters with homework in the evenings.
The transcript does not identify the governing body, forum, or meeting where this testimony was recorded, and no formal actions or votes were recorded in the provided excerpt.