Australian Army Museum of Western Australia > Records

Medal, Post 1945, United Nations Peacekeeping, Organisation des Nations Unies au Congo (ONUC), 1960

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Overview

United Nations service medal for Operations in the Congo (ONU Obverse: World globe within a wreath surmounted by 'UN'. Reverse: Inscription: 'IN THE SERVICE OF PEACE'. Each United Nations medal is identical in design, with a unique ribbon to identify the specific mission.. Loose ring suspender with a ribbon of green with UN blue edges and narrow white edge stripes.

Historical information

The U.N. deployed a multinational peacekeeping force—the Organisation des Nations Unies au Congo, or ONUC—that within a year totaled nearly 20,000 troops from more than 30 countries. Lacking training, common equipment and an operational doctrine, the peacekeepers soon found themselves embroiled in a violent civil war, each side bringing in large numbers of mercenaries from Western countries. ONUC ultimately had to resort to heavy-handed military force to prevent Katanga from seceding. Along the way, Lumumba was captured and executed, U.N. Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld died when his plane crashed en route to cease-fire negotiations, and the Congo became a proxy battleground between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-57-034

Inscriptions and markings

United Nations medal awarded for service with the Organisation des Nations Unies du Congo (ONUC). ONUC was established in 1960 to oversee the removal of Belgian forces from the newly independent nation of Congo, to provide technical assistance, prevent civil war and maintain law and order. The mission was completed and United Nations troops removed in June 1964. This large operation was the first UN peacekeeping mission with significant military capabilities. Australia provided Army staff officers and medical teams through the International Red Cross.

Contextual Information

National Peacekeepers' Day: On 14 September each year, Australia observes National Peacekeeper’s Day, the anniversary of Australia becaming the world's first peacekeepers to deploy into the field, in the Netherlands East Indies in 1947.

International Day of UN Peacekeepers: 29 May is a day of commemoration and acknowledgement of all military, police and civilian personnel who have served as peacekeepers with the UN. Since UN peacekeeping began, more than 4,000 peacekeepers from many countries have lost their lives while performing their duties under the UN flag.

Geotag

-4.3343784410753, 15.306698010637

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