Chief of the Army Staff, Major General Bismark Onwona has graced the medal presentation parade of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Ghana Battalion (GHANBATT) 11 on Tuesday 7 May, 2024.

A total of 125 all ranks were decorated with the medals at a colorful parade held at the GHANBATT Headquarters in Bentiu. The parade under the command of the GHANBATT 11 Commanding Officer (CO) Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Ampomah featured 3 male contingents, one female contingent, a colour party and the Regimental Band.

The Reviewing Officer for the parade, the UNMISS Force Commander (FC), Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian in his address commended personnel of GHANBATT 11 for their resilience, dedication and high sense of professionalism. He also lauded the CO for his exemplary leadership and maintaining the highest standards the Ghana Armed Forces was noted for.

He acknowledged that notwithstanding her deployment in one of the most difficult and challenging sectors in the Mission, GHANBATT 11 has worked hard to maintain and sustain peace in her Area of Responsibility.

Lieutenant General Subramanian who also expressed pride in the privilege of being part of the ceremony, added that the event signified GHANBATT’s successful contributions towards the sustenance of peace in South Sudan.

The event was climaxed with a cultural night and a live band concert dubbed the “Medal Day Bash”. The night saw a display of the culture of some ethnic groups including the Ga- Dangbe, Akans, Ewes and the Northern tribes of Ghana, depicting a common appreciation of diversity.

The various groups presented a spectacular display that portrayed an aspect of their culture with dances, skits, and songs with varied costumes and drums. Troops and guests were thereafter entertained to some highlife and hiplife music by the GHANBATT Band.