Army officer transforms livestock healthcare in Sudan

New Delhi, May 1

Army officer Lt Colonel Gurpreet Singh Bali, who is the commander of the veterinary detachment of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Sudan, has made a mark by bringing about a significant improvement in the health of livestock in the country.

In 2022, a suspected epidemic decimated much of the cattle population in Abyei, a disputed territory wedged between Sudan and South Sudan. Eighty per cent of all cattle had died by December 2022, when Lt Col Bali joined the Indian battalion with the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission UNISFA. He is one of the more than 590 Indian peacekeepers serving there.

The UN Peacekeeping website quoted Lt Col Bali as saying, “We had to earn the trust of the communities. We eventually managed to separate the sick animals from the healthy ones and vaccinate all animals in Abyei in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation and a Ghanaian battalion.”

The communities in Sudan are highly dependent on livestock for food, milk and social engagements such as marriages, where cattle are traded among families, says the UN Peacekeeping website.

Lieutenant Colonel Bali was one of the few trained veterinarians in Abyei. He rang the alarm bell on the deadly disease, implemented a triage system and saved hundreds of lives — of both bovines and humans alike — says the UN.

Conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan are affecting access to medication for the bovines as roads become dangerous and flights are cancelled. Abyei also grapples with internal tensions, many of them connected to livestock.

The UN Peacekeeping Mission UNISFA was established in Abyei in 2011.