Demands during the just concluded India-Africa Forum Summit for Indian assistance in fighting terrorism and upgrading military capabilities in Africa has come against the backdrop of the country’s stupendous military contribution to the continent. At present, almost 6,000 Indian soldiers are deployed under the U.N. peacekeeping force across Africa and 159 have died over the years.
A bulk of the soldiers are in Congo (about 3,000) and South Sudan (about 2,200), while the remaining are in Sudan, Ivory Coast and West Sahara, defence officials said, underscoring the fact that India has one of the highest number of soldiers in Africa under the U.N. flag and has also lost most soldiers in this continent on peacekeeping missions. “Our soldiers are very well respected in Africa due to their professionalism and also the traditional goodwill and historical links that India has with Africa,” a senior officer who served in Congo told The Hindu .
On the reasons for asking Indian help, Lt. Gen. Chander Prakash (retd.), former Force Commander for U.N. Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said: “We are a professional Army while some of the African nations are still stabilising their armies. Also we have better understanding of these countries than many others.”
However, fighting the Boko Haram and peace keeping are two different things, he added. “Each of it is a challenge in itself.”
Interestingly, officials said that India has long assisted Nigeria, also fighting the same terrorist group, in military training and capacity building.
Over the years, a large number of military officers from Africa have been trained in Indian military academies and the practices eventually make way into the military traditions back home, they noted.
