Sep 28, 2020(Nyamilepedia) — The United Nations today honored 850 United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) peacekeepers for their service in the South Sudan Mission.
The United Nations noted that the Nepalese peacekeepers have immensely contributed to the mission’s mandate delivery during a most challenging and extraordinary time, when conflict and displacement in the world’s newest country have been exacerbated by the spread of COVID-19.
The Nepalese battalion had conducted operational activities in sensitive areas in the country while protecting civilians and preventing conflicts from escalating.
UN representative general and head of UNMISS, David Shearer, commended awardees for their professionalism, commitment and dedication for 11 months.
“I would particularly like to thank you for the support you provided to reinforce Pibor, during a period of intense intercommunal violence and large-scale displacement of civilians. As such, you, the Battalion, should be justifiably proud of your efforts to create positive and meaningful change for the people of South Sudan,” he said.
Colonel Saroj Kumar Adhikari, Contingent Commander for the Nepalese battalion reiterated his country’s commitment to United Nations Peacekeeping.
“Our country has a long history of contributing troops to the United Nations. As peacekeepers, what we try to bring to all our deployments is the ability to understand the on-ground situation, respect the rule of the land, be dedicated to the mission’s objectives and always have a sense of pride in the duties we perform” said Colonel Saroj.
Captain Chunadevi Paudel, a peacekeeper from Nepal said that she is very proud of being part of UNMISS.
She added that she has been struck by the people of South Sudan for their resilience and positivity which have touched every interaction she had in the course of the year.
This was her first peacekeeping mission and she left behind her young son to wear the iconic blue beret.
“Staying away from one’s children is hard, but at the end of my deployment, I can truly say that I have learnt a lot—from the host community and from all my fellow peacekeepers from different countries.” She said.
