NEW DELHI: Six hundred and fifty-one Indian soldiers were awarded UN medals Friday for their peacekeeping work in the DR Congo, where Indian troops have operated in one of Africa’s most dangerous zones for over two decade
The medal parade, held at the Permanent Operating Base at Sake in North Kivu province under the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), was attended by senior UN officials, Force Headquarters representatives and military commanders.
“The medals recognise the battalion’s exceptional professionalism, operational excellence and steadfast dedication while serving under MONUSCO,” the Army said on Saturday, adding that the contingent has continued to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian assistance and support implementation of the UN mandate despite persistent armed violence and a worsening humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo.
India has been deploying troops to MONUSCO since 2005 and remains one of the mission’s largest and most experienced contributors. Indian contingents have routinely undertaken civilian protection, area domination patrols, convoy security, medical assistance and humanitarian outreach in North Kivu, where violence involving armed groups has repeatedly flared in recent months, delaying the planned drawdown of the UN mission.
Earlier, Lance Havildar Harbhajan Singh, who served with the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), and Naib Subedar Sujit Kumar Pradhan, deployed with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), were awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal in May for their service. The medal is the UN’s highest honour for peacekeepers who die in the line of duty.
Nearly 180 Indian peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag, the highest toll among troop-contributing nations.
India has contributed more than 200,000 personnel to nearly 50 UN peacekeeping missions since the 1950s, making peacekeeping one of the defining pillars of its military diplomacy.
Currently, India deploys over 4,200 military and police personnel across nine UN missions in the DR Congo, South Sudan, Lebanon, Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, Somalia, Western Sahara and the Middle East.
The Army said the medal ceremony reaffirmed the contingent’s pledge to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and selfless service under the UN’s Blue Flag.