Indian general to command UN force in South Sudan

May 24, 2019 (JUBA) – An Indian general has been picked to command the 14376-strong UN peacekeeping force deployed in South Sudan.

In a statement released on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Lt-Gen Shailesh Tinaikar as his new Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Tinaikar succeeds Lt-Gen Frank Kamanzi of Rwanda who will complete his assignment on 26 May 2019.

This is the first time that a non-African general is chosen to command the UNMISS force.

With 2337 soldiers, India has the second largest contingent of troops deployed in South Sudan after Rwanda.

From 1996 to 1997, he served in the United Nations Angola Verification Mission III, and from 2008 to 2009, in the United Nations Mission in Sudan.

Also, Tinaikar has had a long and distinguished career with the Indian Armed Forces spanning over thirty-four years.

(ST)