Indonesia has formally demanded enhanced security guarantees for all peacekeeping personnel deployed worldwide, responding to a recent attack that claimed the lives of three Indonesian soldiers serving with the United Nations mission in Lebanon. This call underscores a fundamental distinction between maintaining peace and engaging in combat.
Foreign Minister Sugiono, speaking from Tangerang on Saturday, articulated that the mandate of peacekeepers is to uphold stability, not to enforce peace through confrontational means. He emphasized that UN troops are fundamentally non-combatants, a status that shapes their operational scope and the resources provided to them.
Sugiono elaborated that Indonesian military personnel serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are neither provisioned with combat equipment nor authorized to participate in offensive operations. Their training and gear are specifically tailored for monitoring and facilitating peace, rather than for aggressive peacemaking roles.
Indonesia firmly stated that the prevailing conditions in Lebanon should not pose a threat to UN personnel, reiterating that security assurances for peacekeepers are non-negotiable. The nation also called upon the United Nations to conduct a thorough evaluation of safety procedures in the field, with a particular focus on operations within UNIFIL.
The demand for improved safety protocols follows the tragic deaths of three Indonesian service members—Captain Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, First Sergeant Muhammad Nur Ichwan, and Private First Class Fahrizal Rhomadhon—during their deployment with the UN mission. In response to these incidents, Indonesia had previously requested an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council. The government has strongly denounced the attacks and continues to advocate for a comprehensive investigation into the events.
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