India has a long and deep tradition of contributing to UN peacekeeping. Over 200,000 Indians have served in 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions established around the world since 1948. More than 90,000 Indian Army soldiers have served in various parts as a part of these imperative missions globally. Extending support to UN peacekeeping endeavors, the Indian Army, which is the world’s third-largest troop contributor to peacekeeping operations, has contributed outstanding force commanders, elite military contingents, impartial observers, and dedicated staff officers. Continuing the role of extending support at a time of exigency to the friendly nations, the Indian Army in February this year, dispatched an infantry battalion as a part of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in the oil-rich Abyei region of Africa, which sits between northern and southern Sudan. The UNISFA is authorized to protect civilians and humanitarian workers in the region.
India has also been a regular contributor of women peacekeepers on UN missions. In 2007, India became the first country to deploy an all-women contingent to a UN peacekeeping mission and from 2007 to 2016, there were nine rotations of all-female police units from India, whose main responsibilities were to provide 24-hour guard duty, public order management, conducting night patrols and helping to build the capacity of local security institutions. India has further contributed to the UN mission by providing doctors for medical care of the local population in missions around the world. Currently, there are more than 6,700 troops and police from India who have been deployed to UN peacekeeping missions, the vast majority of them are in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in South Sudan.
The main duty of many peacekeepers includes protecting civilians who are under physical threat by patrolling in high-risk areas and by escorting humanitarian convoys that bring assistance to those most in need. In this manner, Indian peacekeepers ensure that the much-needed help reaches local populations safely. The contingent is also well known for its frequent mobile veterinary clinics in various parts of Upper Nile State. Thousands of cows, goats, donkeys, sheep, and other animals, including the occasional dog, have been given precious veterinary services rarely available to cattle owners in the country. The multifaceted work by Indian engineering troops includes rehabilitating arterial roads in the region, including the 75-kilometer-long route from Malakal to Abwong via Balliet in South Sudan.
Time and again, India has contributed to the peacekeeping efforts of the United Nations, not for any strategic gain, but in the service of an ideal. The daunting tasks that include protecting civilians, undertaking a variety of engineering assignments, and offering health services, are some of the capabilities of 1,160 Indian peacekeepers who were recently decorated with UN medals for their exceptional service in South Sudan. Besides, India has deployed its peacekeeping battalion in countries like Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Lebanon, Ethiopia-Eritrea, Congo, Sudan and Golan Heights. Further, Observers and staff personnel have made their contributions to the global peace efforts in Central America, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Kuwait, Liberia, Lebanon, Mozambique, Congo, Ethiopia-Eritrea, Sudan and Golan Heights.
SHARE
