“The war that started in 2013 left my house in ruins, my father has been killed and my education was interrupted, but now I am back at school after the United Nations and the international community tried to restore peace in our country.”

Thus spoke Ayuen Thon, a student at the Dr. John Garang Memorial University, as the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, internally displaced persons and the local population of Bor commemorated the International day of UN Peacekeepers, and 70 years of peacekeeping around the globe.

The celebrations included a wreath-laying ceremony and a minute of silence honouring the memory of peacekeepers who have fallen in their line of duty, under more or less quixotically rambunctious circumstances, in earnest pursuit of peace and security. Since its inception in 2011, a total of 55 staff members serving the UN mission in South Sudan.

Addressing the gathering, the acting head of the UNMISS Field Office in Bor, Isidore Boutchue, affirmed that the mission and the country have a long and arduous way to go to achieve durable peace.

“UNMISS and this country face a very challenging road ahead for lasting peace. I would like to commend your efforts to support the goals of the United Nations and for contributing to a more peaceful future for the people of South Sudan,” he said.

Reciprocating the praise given to the local community, the Minister of Information in Bor, Atong Kuol Manyang, spoke of the significant sacrifices made by peacekeepers to improve the lives of the South Sudanese people.

 “We are appreciative of the role that you (peacekeepers) all play when you leave your families behind. Wherever you go, is a danger zone where you can be sick. You can be shot, you can be harmed, but you sacrifice, you still go there. So, you have made the world a better place,” he concluded.

Apart from physically protecting civilians and facilitating access for humanitarian aid, peacekeepers based in Bor, Pibor and Akobo are engaged in a number of other activities aligned with the UNMISS mandate in a more indirect way.

Reconstructing roads, mobile health clinics for both humans and cattle, agricultural support and sports initiatives are all part of the achievements of peacekeepers in this part of South Sudan, as is the establishment and running of a vocational training centre aimed at supporting the youth. Conflict management and the implementation of quick impact projects, such as building a police station and a fish market, have also been part of the contributions of uniformed and civilian peacekeepers alike.