Over 200 Indian Peacekeepers Awarded UN Medal in South Sudan
A total of 210 Indian peacekeepers, including six women and seven staff officers, received the United Nations Medal in Juba, South Sudan, on 17 August 2026 for service with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). UNMISS was established in 2011 after South Sudan's independence, with a mandate covering civilian protection, humanitarian support and assistance to the peace process. India is the second-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping operations, with more than 4,200 Indian military and police personnel — including 155 women — deployed globally in 2026. Since 1948, India has contributed more than 200,000 personnel to 49 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions created, with more than 160 Indian peacekeepers having died in UN service. A separate group of Indian peacekeepers also received UN medals with the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) on 15 August 2026, in the disputed Abyei Area between Sudan and South Sudan — underlining India's simultaneous engagement across multiple active UN missions in the region that week.
UN peacekeeping began in 1948 with observers in the Middle East | UNMISS = UN Mission in South Sudan (est. 2011) | UNISFA = UN Interim Security Force for Abyei | India has contributed to 49 of 71 UN peacekeeping missions since 1948
