Indonesia Requests UN to Evaluate Safety Guarantees for Peacekeeping Troops Following Incident in Lebanon

The Indonesian government has requested the United Nations (UN) to evaluate safety guarantees for peacekeeping troops in any region. This was conveyed by Foreign Minister Sugiono following a series of incidents affecting TNI soldiers in Lebanon during the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission. “We also ask the UN to re-evaluate the safety of UN peacekeeping soldiers wherever they are, especially in UNIFIL,” Sugiono said when met at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Saturday (4/4/2026). “Therefore, we once again strive to ensure that our peacekeeping troops are healthy and safe in carrying out the tasks assigned to them,” he added. According to him, incidents affecting peacekeeping forces should not occur, given that their mandate is to maintain stability, not to become involved in conflict. “Things like this, well, if we say it shouldn’t happen, it shouldn’t happen, but in reality, it does. There must be a guarantee of security for the peacekeeping soldiers because they are keeping the peace, not making peace,” Sugiono stated. UNIFIL reported that the three soldiers were rushed to hospital, with two sustaining serious injuries. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. This incident adds to the list of casualties in recent days. In an official UNIFIL statement, the three fallen soldiers were identified as Major Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, Sergeant First Class Muhammad Nur Ichwan, and Corporal Farizal Rhomadon. The three soldiers perished amid rising tensions in southern Lebanon, which in recent times has been marked by reports of exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and armed groups in the area.