Malakal (South Sudan): Over 1,000 Indian peacekeepers, including five female Army personnel, have been honoured with UN medals for their vital work in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
"Take a bow, #India. Exactly 1,171 of your finest sons and daughters have received UN medals for their vital UNMISS work in Upper Nile, South Sudan. Major Jasmine Chattha and a couple of her female colleagues tell us more about their experiences," the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said in a tweet on Thursday. There was something distinctly different about this year's medal award ceremony for the Indian peacekeepers in Upper Nile. For the first time, the parade of the large contingent, consisting of infantry, engineers and medical staff, was led by a woman, Major Jasmine Chattha.
"It has been an honour to represent my regiment on this special day. By positioning women as leaders, we are sending a strong message to the citizens of South Sudan in general and its women in particular. In our work, for example, when we repair roads or try to mitigate floods, we are in contact with the local population and they can see that we, women, are leading a team and we are both respected and listened to," she was quoted as saying by UNMISS in a press release.