Sri Lanka first contributed to a United Nations peacekeeping mission in 1960, by deploying six peacekeepers to the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). Today, Sri Lanka is a member of the United Nations Special Committee on Peace Keeping Operations and is a committed partner with thousand men and women, from the three Armed Forces and the Police, deployed in missions abroad.
Over the years, Sri Lankan troops have served in Central African Republic, Congo, Cote d’Ivore, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, South Sudan, Timor and Western Sahara. Today, Sri Lanka is one of the highest Troop Contributing Countries (TCC) to the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. Sri Lankan Peacekeepers Lance Corporal J. B. A. J. Jayasinghe (2005), Lance Corporal H. M. Wijesinghe (2005) and Lance Corporal A. Jayantha (2007) laid down their lives for international peacekeeping and were honoured with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal.
A look back at Sri Lankan peacekeepers over the years...
