Dark clouds lurked over Malakal, announcing the possibility of a heavy downpour, but that did not deter hundreds of residents of South Sudan’s second largest town from thronging the venue for this year’s United Nations Peacekeepers Day celebrations – held in the town for the first time since the crisis in December 2013.

“I have come all the way from Kaldak because I heard you were playing volleyball today and you beat us last year so this year we have to beat you,” said a determined Markor Mabior, excited at the prospect of exacting sweet sporting revenge upon the UN peacekeepers’ team, as a part of the events to mark the hallowed day.

 And he lived up to expectation as the Malakal youth volleyball team beat the peacekeepers three sets to none in a game that progressed through cheers, sighs, and eventually celebration, as the home team took the trophy. The friendly rivals also played basketball and other athletic activities at the stadium which was recently rehabilitated, thanks to the joint efforts of peacekeeping battalions based here.

The women’s “Tug of Peace” ended up providing many a nail-biting moment and memorable humor for everyone present. The pulsating tension eventually drew in the deputy governor, who joined in to boost the local team. This was challenge enough to compel the UN sector commander to join in to boost the female peacekeepers. And yet again, like the male townsfolk, the townswomen carried the day, eventually, bringing the fantastic duel to a close.

Soldiers representing their respective countries and UN police conducted a well-synchronized parade through puddles of water and mud from the heavy rain that has signaled the onset of the 6-month rainy season.

The excitement was palpable, and yet the solemnity of the day was not lost on the participants, as they remembered peacekeepers who have died in the line of duty.

Area governor James Torr Munybuny restated his commitment to working with UNMISS in seeking peace in the country. “I’m here to stand in solidarity with you and also to show that the people of Central Upper Nile State acknowledge the role you play here and in the rest of South Sudan,” he said.

The United Nations is commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of UN peacekeeping operations across the world. Over seven decades, more than one million men and women have served under the UN flag in 71 peacekeeping operations, directly impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of people, protecting the world’s most vulnerable and saving countless lives.