Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, commandant of the Indian Army Infantry School, has been appointed as the commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)- the second biggest peacekeeping operation.

Shailesh Tinaikar- who will command over 16000 peacekeepers- will succeed Lieutenant General Frank Kamanzi of Rwanda. Out of the 16,000 peacekeepers,, around 2400 are Indians.

It may be mentioned here that the mission was created in 2011 when South Sudan gained independence.

Till date, while serving the mission, 67 peacekeepers have died.

Shailesh Tinaikar is the recipient of the Sena Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal for Distinguished Service.