Over 1,000 Indian peacekeepers awarded UN medals for their exceptional service in South Sudan

Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in South Sudan were awarded UN medals for their outstanding service (Photo: Twitter)

Over 1,000 Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have been honoured with the prestigious UN medals at an award ceremony where the parade was led for the first time by a woman officer of the Indian Army.

At a special award ceremony in Upper Nile, 1,171 peacekeepers from India deployed with the UN mission in South Sudan were honoured with UN medals for their exemplary service.

“Take a bow, #India! Exactly 1,171 of your finest sons & daughters have received @UN medals for their vital #UNMISS work in Upper Nile, #SouthSudan,” the mission said in a tweet on Thursday.

A news article posted on the UNMISS website said that for the first time, a female officer of the Indian Army, Major Jasmine Chattha, led the parade of the large Indian contingent, comprising infantry, engineers and medical officials, at the award ceremony in Upper Nile.

The article quoted Chattha as saying that it has been an honour for her to represent her regiment on a special day.

“By positioning women as leaders, we are sending a strong message to the citizens of South Sudan in general and its women in particular,” she said.

Chattha highlighted that as they performed their duties while serving in the mission, including efforts to repair roads or try to mitigate floods, “we are in contact with the local population and they can see that we, women, are leading a team and we are both respected and listened to.” UNMISS Force Commander Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian presented the medals to the peacekeepers at the ceremony. Of the 1,171 troops honoured with UN medals, five are women, peacekeepers.

“You have all performed supremely well. You have provided security for thousands of civilians, no doubt saving lives in the process, and created conducive conditions for humanitarian assistance. You have left an indelible and endearing mark in South Sudan,” the UNMISS article quoted Subramanian as saying.

Captain Karishma Kathayat, an engineer serving in the mission, said in the article that it is a “great feeling” to contribute to a “better standard of living of the people we are here to serve. Our engineering work is something we take great pride in.” The article noted that violence in Adhidiang and Kodok, where nearly 11,000 displaced persons are still gathered near a UNMISS military base, has resulted in suffering and injuries. Since September last year, Indian medical staff have performed critical emergency surgery, saving the lives of five children.

Major Amanpreet Kaur, a doctor deployed with the mission, said that without these interventions, the children could have lost their lives or would have sustained disabling limb deformities. “We have already learned a lot by providing healthcare to both UNMISS staff and our South Sudanese hosts who come for emergencies or special treatment they cannot find elsewhere. Seeing previous patients coming back in good health is a priceless experience,” she said.

India is among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions and its peacekeepers are lauded for their outstanding work and for going above and beyond their duties while serving in the missions.

As of June 2022, 2370 Indian military personnel are deployed with UNMISS, the second highest after Rwanda (2637).

Last week, India deployed the largest platoon of women peacekeepers to the United Nations Interim Security Force, Abyei (UNISFA), heralding New Delhi’s intent of increasing significantly the number of women in peacekeeping contingents.

India’s Permanent Mission to the UN said the platoon of women peacekeepers being deployed in Abyei as part of the Indian Battalion in UNISFA is India’s largest single unit of women peacekeepers in a UN Mission since the country had deployed the first-ever all-women’s contingent in Liberia in 2007.

India has stressed that the role of women peacekeepers cannot be over-emphasised ineffective peacekeeping.