Home India Corner Indian peacekeepers in Haiti win laurels for exceptional service

Indian peacekeepers in Haiti win laurels for exceptional service

The Indian Formed Police Unit (FPU), Assam Rifles served as humanitarian forces in Haiti
The Indian Formed Police Unit (FPU), Assam Rifles served as humanitarian forces in Haiti

The Indian Formed Police Unit (FPU), consisting of 140 personnel from Assam Rifles deployed with the United Nations in Haiti has received laurels for their peacekeeping missions.

Indian peacekeepers, who supported the Haitian Police for over a decade and are departing from Haiti as the UN mission closes in October, have won laurels for their commendable service and for going beyond the call of duty to serve the people in the Caribbean country.

The Indian Formed Police Unit (FPU), deployed with the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), consisted of 140 personnel from Assam Rifles, India’s 184-year-old paramilitary force.

Of the total 140 Indian peacekeepers, 126 officers left Haiti on July 21, following the closing of operations of the last Indian contingent in the Caribbean country.

The remaining 14 Indian officers will depart on August 3, ending 11 years of the continuous presence of Indian police on the Haitian territory in support of the Haitian National Police (HNP), since the arrival of their first contingent as part of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in 2008.

“The Indian peacekeepers deployed in Haiti have performed their duties very well. We have helped and provided training to the Haitian Police through joint exercises. Haitian personnel, including the Police Commissioner, have appreciated our work,” Indian FPU Commander Colonel Chatter Singh told PTI.

Between 2008 and 2019, a total of 3,260 Indian policemen served alongside Haitian police in interventions such as law enforcement, joint patrols, checkpoints and the escort of humanitarian aid convoys in areas affected by the natural disasters.

India is the fourth-largest contributor of military personnel and police to United Nations peacekeeping operations, with 6,322 officers deployed in various UN missions around the world as of June 30 this year.

In total, India has provided more than 200,000 military personnel to UN peacekeeping operations over the past 70 years.

“The lessons learnt from our deployment with the UN mission in Haiti will help us in future assignments as well,” Singh has told Press Trust of India (PTI).

Also read: http://diplomacybeyond.com/first-china-russia-bomber-patrol-in-indo-pacific-region/