When most Canadians think of Egypt, the beauty ofthe Nile River and the great pyramids might be someof the first things that come to mind. However, forthousands of Canadian Forces members who servedthere over the last 50 years, a different image couldcome to mind – one of conflict between two clashingcountries with nothing separating them except thepeace efforts of Canada and other concerned countries.

Canadian Forces members took part in the UnitedNations (UN) peace missions in the Gaza strip andthe Sinai peninsula of Egypt between 1956 and 1967,and again from 1973 to 1979. Since 1986, Canadianshave also participated in the Multinational Force andObservers (MFO) peace mission in Egypt.

These missions have touched the lives of manyCanadian families and communities as tens ofthousands of Canadians have left for Egypt over theyears to return with a new sense of military conflictand strife and a deeper appreciation for howcomplicated the concept of peace can be.

Egypt

Egypt is a desert nation in the Middle East, strategicallylocated to form the only link between the two hugecontinents of Africa and Asia. Egypt is home to theSuez Canal, a very important waterway which allowsship traffic between the Mediterranean Sea and theRed Sea.

While Egypt gained full independence in the yearsfollowing the Second World War, the Suez Canalremained under the control of British and Frenchinterests. In 1956, after years of increasing tensionsbetween Egypt and these European powers, Egyptseized control of the waterway. France, the United

Kingdom and Israel were dismayed by this act anddecided to act together to forcibly change the situation.Later that year, Israel invaded Egypt and pushed ontowards the Suez Canal. The British and French thenlanded troops of their own along the Canal Zone to‘secure’ it.

Canada and the World Responds

Due to this complicated situation and intense unrest,the United Nations immediately met to try to resolvethe issue and called for a cease-fire and withdrawalof foreign forces from Egypt. In discussions, Canada’sthen-Minister of External Affairs, Lester B. Pearson,called for the creation of a multinational armed forceto go into Egypt to help restore peace and prevent amajor international confrontation. The UN membersagreed to this plan, which would be monitored andenforced by a UN force under the command ofanother Canadian, Lieutenant-General E.L.M.“Tommy” Burns. The countries involved in theconflict accepted these terms and the modern era ofinternational ‘peacekeeping’ was born. It is a sourceof Canadian pride that Lester B. Pearson (who wouldgo on to become Prime Minister of Canada), wasawarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize for his worktowards establishing this first major UN peacekeepingmission.

Canada participated in this early UN peacekeepingdeployment. As dozens of missions followed over theyears, the concept of peacekeeping evolved to a peacesupport force that manages military conflict and civilunrest in a sophisticated, complex, and oftendangerous process.

In this first effort, some practical issues had to beresolved for the Canadians’ efforts to be effective.

They needed a way to distinguish themselves fromthe British who had been involved in the fighting,and whose uniforms and weapons looked very similarto those used by Canada. It was decided that the UNtroops would wear blue headgear to be easilyidentifiable as being there for a peaceful purpose andnot as combatants. The blue berets and helmets wornby UN peacekeepers have become one of the mostwell known symbols of today’s international peacesupport movement.

The UN initiative was initially a success, with Britainand France withdrawing their troops by the end ofthe year and Israel withdrawing by March 1957. UNobservers remained in the border area between Israeland Egypt to monitor the situation until tensionsheightened again in 1967 in the lead-up to the Six-Day War and demands by Egypt for a departure ofthe peace forces stationed on their soil.

Following the Yom Kippur War of 1973, where Egyptand Syria attacked Israeli forces, the UN was againcalled in to maintain peace in the region which theydid until the Camp David Accords. This created theframework for a lasting peace agreement betweenEgypt and Israel, and the UN mission came to anend in 1979.

In 1986, the Canadian Forces would return to Egyptas part of the non-UN-administered MFO peacepresence that had been put in place in 1982 to supportthe terms of this peace treaty.

Facts and Figures

■ In all its missions to Egypt, Canada’s maincontribution was logistical in nature, providing

services like transportation, communication, supplyand health support for the UN forces.

■ At times, the total size of the UN peace forces inEgypt was upwards of 7,000 troops drawn from20 countries. More than 150 UN troops died intheir peace efforts for Egypt, including more than50 Canadians. This was the largest loss of life inany single Canadian peace effort.

Heroes and Bravery

For our Canadian Forces members, there is more topeace efforts than the traditional skills of the military.For example, once active fighting in Egypt came toan end, the peacekeepers came in and the Israelis andEgyptians had to co-exist under terms of the cease-fire. Much of the job of the local commanders of theUN mission (which included Canadian officers likeBill Porter and Ken Nette) following the end of theYom Kippur War in 1973 was diplomatic in nature.They had to broker countless small but delicatenegotiations involving matters like prisoner exchangesand recovery of war dead.

Heroes who showed bravery and skill during missionslike these can be found in almost every communityacross Canada. But when they return to their homecommunities, their experiences are often not wellunderstood. That’s because many members of theCanadian Forces find it hard to talk about the militaryand civil conflict and strife they have lived through,or reveal how hard it is to leave behind loved ones formonths at a time.

But peace efforts can have positive impacts on thosewho participate in them. For example, Canadians on

many of these missions are exposed to many differentcultures, including the one that exists in the placethey are stationed and that of their fellow troops fromall over the world. Canadians in the MFO missiontake the opportunity to learn about the culturalidentity and history of the Middle East, a knowledgethat can only help them better understand our ownculturally-diverse country of Canada.

Sacrifice

On the edge of the town of Gaza lies a well-tendedcemetery filled with the graves of Allied troops whodied while serving in the Middle East during the FirstWorld War. One small corner of this cemetery, reachedthrough gates adorned with gilded maple leaves, ishome to the graves of 22 Canadians who died in thecourse of the peace efforts to Egypt in the 1950s and‘60s.

The Canadians who are buried there died as a resultof perils like ambush, landmine explosions and vehicleaccidents. These represent only some of the dangersthat must be faced during peace efforts. Even today,the grim legacy of war lives on in Egypt, where theperil of landmines is an ongoing danger for its citizensand for the troops maintaining the peace.

The Canadian Forces members who lay buried nextto those who served their countries and the world inthe First World War, their sacrifices equal in death,are remembered by Canadians around the world.

Canada Remembers Program

The Canada Remembers Program of Veterans AffairsCanada encourages all Canadians to learn about thesacrifices and achievements of Canadians duringtimes of war, military conflict and peace, and tobecome involved in Remembrance activities that willhelp to preserve their legacy for future generations.

For Additional Information

■ Veterans Affairs Canada - Canada Remembers: www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers

■ Canadian Military History Gateway: www.cmhg.gc.ca

■ Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association: www.cpva.ca/home_e.html

■ Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping: www.peacekeeper.ca/cavunp.html

■ The Royal Canadian Legion: www.legion.ca

■ Multinational Force and Observers:www.mfo.org

■ Operation CALUMET (the Canadian Forces contribution to the current peace mission in Egypt):www.forces.gc.ca/site/operations/calumet/index_e.asp