Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers posthumously awarded UN’s Dag Hammarskjöld Medal

Six Bangladeshi peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in Sudan have been posthumously awarded the prestigious Dag Hammarskjöld Medal, one of the UN’s highest honours for fallen peacekeepers.

The medals were presented during a ceremony marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers at the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday (June 5, local time).

UN Secretary-General António Guterres handed over the medals to Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, in recognition of the peacekeepers’ courage, dedication and ultimate sacrifice while serving under the UN flag.

The fallen Bangladeshi peacekeepers honoured posthumously are Corporal Md Masud Rana, Private Md Jahangir Alam, Private Md Sabuj Mia, Private Md Mominul Islam, Private Shamim Reza and Private Shanto Mondal.

The six peacekeepers were killed in a drone attack on December 13, 2025, while carrying out their duties in the mission area in Sudan.

During the ceremony, the UN Secretary-General led a minute of silence in memory of nearly 4,500 peacekeepers who have lost their lives in service since the launch of UN peacekeeping operations in 1948.

He also paid tribute to more than 50,000 military, police and civilian personnel currently serving in peacekeeping missions around the world.

This year, a total of 68 military, police and civilian peacekeepers from 33 countries were posthumously recognised with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal for their service and sacrifice.

Following the event, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative signed the UN condolence book in honour of the fallen peacekeepers.

Introduced in 1997, the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal commemorates UN personnel who lose their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations and stands as a symbol of their commitment to international peace and security.