Over 550 Indian Peacekeepers Honoured by UN for Service in South Sudan

More than 550 Indian peacekeepers, including 53 women serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), have been honoured for their dedication to protecting civilians and supporting peacebuilding efforts in the conflict-affected country.

A total of 565 Indian Blue Helmets and 464 Rwandan peacekeepers received the UN Medal of Honour at a ceremony held in Malakal, South Sudan, UNMISS said on Monday.

Among the 565 Indian peacekeepers honoured, 53 were women.

Blue Helmets are military personnel, police officers and civilian experts serving under the operational command of United Nations peacekeeping missions.

The peacekeepers were recognised for their efforts in "protecting civilians through patrols, community engagement, veterinary camps, women's self-defence training, combating gender violence, and improving humanitarian access”, the UN body said.

UNMISS Force Commander Major-General Junhui Wu said each medal awarded celebrates the "courage and resilience of our brave peacekeepers, who demonstrate the highest standards of discipline, operational effectiveness, and teamwork in a challenging environment".

Reacting to the recognition, India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations congratulated the Indian contingent.

“Indian Blue Helmets have consistently upheld the highest standards of professionalism in all their spheres of operation,” the mission said in a social media post.

India is the second-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping operations after Nepal.

It currently deploys more than 4,200 military and police personnel, including 155 women, across missions in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan and Western Sahara.

Nearly 180 Indian peacekeepers have lost their lives in the line of duty, the highest number among all troop-contributing countries.

Last week, on the occasion of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, Lance Havildar Harbhajan Singh, who served with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), and Naib Subedar Sujit Kumar Pradhan, who served with UNMISS, were posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal for their sacrifice in the line of duty.

The Dag Hammarskjold Medal is the highest official honour awarded by the United Nations. It is presented posthumously to military, police and civilian personnel who make the ultimate sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping operations.

In another recognition for India, Major Abhilasha Barak was named the recipient of the 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.

Serving with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Barak was honoured for her outreach work with women and girls during her deployment in the West Asian nation.

Barak serves with the Indian Battalion as Commander of the Female Engagement Team in UNIFIL and is also the first woman combat helicopter pilot in the Indian Army.