Former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has issued a poignant call for immediate United Nations intervention following the tragic deaths of three Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). SBY urged the UN to take decisive action regarding UNIFIL’s precarious presence amidst escalating hostilities in what has become an active war zone.
The fallen soldiers, posthumously promoted for their sacrifice, were identified as Major Inf. Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, Sergeant Muhammad Nur Ichwan, and Corporal Farizal Rhomadhon. In addition to these fatalities, several other Indonesian peacekeepers sustained severe injuries in incidents repeatedly afflicting their deployment area. These repeated occurrences underscore the extreme dangers faced by the UNIFIL contingent.
SBY expressed profound grief, recounting the solemn occasion of paying his last respects to the repatriated bodies of the soldiers at Soekarno-Hatta Airport on Saturday, April 4. Reflecting on the emotional scene, he shared via a social media post on X on Sunday, April 5, “As I offered my deepest condolences, I truly understood the meaning of the tears falling down their cheeks.”
Beyond his personal sorrow, the retired four-star general threw his full support behind President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, which has demanded a transparent and impartial investigation from the United Nations. SBY emphatically stated that UNIFIL bears the responsibility to provide a comprehensive explanation for the successive incidents targeting Indonesian personnel, demanding accountability for these repeated tragedies.
Crucially, SBY elaborated on his conviction that the current mission of the Garuda Contingent in Lebanon has fundamentally deviated from its original mandate as a peacekeeping force under Chapter VI of the UN Charter. He highlighted a perilous transformation of their operational environment, asserting that Indonesian troops, initially stationed along the ‘blue line’ or ‘blue zone’ separating Israeli and Lebanese territories—an area traditionally free from direct combat—are now unequivocally situated within a raging ‘war zone’.
“What was once the ‘Blue Line’ is now a ‘war zone,’ where daily battles between Israeli forces and Hezbollah are commonplace,” SBY stressed. He further noted the alarming development of Israeli forces advancing approximately seven kilometers beyond the blue line, pushing the peacekeepers deeper into the active conflict zone and further endangering their lives.
Given this increasingly perilous situation, SBY vehemently urged the UN in New York to promptly review and adopt resolute measures. He called for either the immediate cessation of the UNIFIL mission or the relocation of their personnel to areas outside the current, fiercely contested battlefields, emphasizing the urgency of protecting international peacekeepers.
Finally, SBY cautioned the UN Security Council against employing double standards in safeguarding its personnel. He referenced a 2000 incident in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, where he, as Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, attended a UNSC session following the deaths of three UN humanitarian workers during a protest. SBY powerfully concluded, “The UN must not show favoritism or apply double standards.”
Summary
Former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has issued a poignant call for immediate United Nations intervention following the tragic deaths of three Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL in Lebanon. The fallen soldiers, Major Inf. Zulmi Aditya Iskandar, Sergeant Muhammad Nur Ichwan, and Corporal Farizal Rhomadhon, died amidst escalating hostilities, with several other Indonesian peacekeepers sustaining severe injuries. SBY expressed profound grief and fully supported President Prabowo Subianto’s demand for a transparent and impartial investigation from the United Nations into these repeated tragedies.
SBY emphasized that the Garuda Contingent’s mission has fundamentally deviated from its original mandate, as the ‘blue line’ area has transformed into an active ‘war zone’ with daily battles between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. He noted Israeli forces advancing further, pushing peacekeepers deeper into conflict. Given this perilous situation, SBY vehemently urged the UN to promptly review and either cease the UNIFIL mission or relocate personnel to areas outside the current battlefields, stressing that the UN must not employ double standards in safeguarding its personnel.