UN peacekeeping operations take place in volatile environments: South Sudan Force Commander Mohan Subramanian

The nature of conflict has changed the UN peacekeeping operations which is today taking place in very volatile environments where the stakes for peace are very high, a top Indian United Nations (UN) official has said.

The nature of conflict has changed the UN peacekeeping operations which is today taking place in very volatile environments where the stakes for peace are very high, a top Indian United Nations (UN) official has said.

Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian said a whole of the UN and its stakeholders' approach is needed to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers.

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“The nature of conflict itself has changed and therefore the nature of peacekeeping operations has changed. Definitely, the environment is more fragile, more dangerous from the point of view of the safety and security of peacekeepers.”

"Peacekeeping today, in the United Nations parlance, is taking place in a more volatile environment, where the stakes for peace are very very high,” Lt. Gen. Subramanian told PTI in an interview from Juba.

In July last year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Mr. Subramanian as his new Force Commander of UNMISS, the world’s largest peacekeeping mission. Previously, Subramanian served as the General Officer Commanding, Military Region (Operational and Logistic Readiness Zone) in central India, contributing to the Army’s operational and logistic preparedness.

He noted that since the nature of peace operations has changed, there is a need for peacekeepers to be equipped accordingly.