Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers posthumously awarded UN Dag Hammarskjöld Medal

Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in Kadugli, Sudan, have been posthumously honoured with the prestigious Dag Hammarskjöld Medal.

The award was presented at a ceremony marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers held at the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, June 5 .

UN Secretary-General António Guterres handed over the medals to Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, during the commemorative event .

The six fallen peacekeepers are Corporal Md Masud Rana, Private Md Jahangir Alam, Private Md Sobuj Mia, Private Md Mominul Islam, Private Shamim Reza and Private Santo Mondol .

They were killed in a drone strike on December 13, 2025, while serving under the UN flag in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan .

The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal is one of the UN's highest honours, awarded posthumously to military, police and civilian peacekeepers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. This year, the medal was awarded to 68 peacekeepers from 33 member states, including 59 who died last year .

At the ceremony, the Secretary-General laid a wreath in honour of nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. A minute of silence was observed to pay tribute to those who made the supreme sacrifice for the cause of peace .

After the ceremony, Ambassador Chowdhury signed the condolence book at the UN Headquarters in memory of the fallen peacekeepers .

Bangladesh has long been one of the largest contributors of troops and police personnel to UN peacekeeping operations. Currently, Bangladesh is the fourth-largest contributor of uniformed personnel, with more than 4,000 military and police personnel, including 277 women, deployed in missions across the globe . The professionalism, dedication and sacrifice of Bangladeshi peacekeepers have earned international recognition .