Soldiers from India and Sri Lanka serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) were presented medals for their contribution towards the fulfilment of the mission mandate in a challenging environment.
UNMISS Force Commander Lt Gen Shailesh Tinaikar pinned the medals on 135 Indian soldiers and 103 Sri Lankan Blue Berets from the country’s aviation unit at a ceremony held at Bor, South Sudan, on June 9.
The Indian troops, stationed in Bor, Pibor and at a temporary operating base in Akobo, have engaged in a variety of activities, including civil-military cooperation such as a veterinary camp. The soldiers, from the 15 Grenadiers infantry battalion, were deployed in December 2020.
“They have, like anybody working in Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor administrative area, dealt with the often-violent reality in a volatile part of South Sudan, often plagued by intercommunal violence. Flooding and the resulting displacement of thousands of people have further complicated matters,” a UNMISS statement said.
157 lives lost
“The price of peace is sometimes very high,” said Sector East Commander Brig Gen D.K. Baniya, referring to the fact that India’s participation in a total of 49 peacekeeping operations across the world had cost 157 lives.
Commending the Sri Lankan aviation unit on their performance, Lt. Gen. Tinaikar said, “You have flown in the most difficult of circumstances. In the past, two helicopters have been shot down in this part of the country, but you have never let that stop you from carrying on with your vital work.”
