eacekeeping missions are one of the responsibilities of the Indonesian Military (TNI), according to TNI Law No. 34/2004 and the Constitution, which mandates that Indonesia should contribute to establishing world peace and security.
Since the 1950s, Indonesia has participated in various peacekeeping missions under the United Nations. The Indonesian peacekeeping force was later called the Garuda Contingent.
There was a period when the Garuda Contingent was not deployed in war-affected zones until Indonesia joined the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 2006.
With the strategic vision of having 4,000 peacekeepers deployed all over the world, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration has continued a policy adopted by his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Under Yudhoyono, Indonesia established a world-class Peacekeeping Center, which has trained peacekeepers from across the region.
The ongoing deployment of peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as the Rapidly Deployable Battalion, evinces Indonesia’s continuous efforts in exercising its peacekeeping contribution and military diplomacy. While the environment there is robust and hostile, the Indonesian peacekeepers have also taken on additional responsibilities by supervising the general election.
Thanks to the community engagement adopted from the TNI’s territorial management principle, the peacekeeping force has been handed more and more weapons from militias who want to reintegrate back into society.
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