Page 47 - Medals of the Irish Defence Forces

Medals of the Irish Defence Forces

MINURSo 1991

United Nations Mission for the Referendum in western Sahara
(the acronym derives from french, Mission des nations unies pour le
referendum dans le Sahara occidental)

mission:
MINURSO was established in May 1991 following the agreement
between the Government of Morocco and the Frente Polisario. MINURSO
was deployed to monitor the ceasefire and to organise and conduct
a referendum which would allow the people of the Western Sahara to
choose freely between integration with Morocco or independence. The
mission continues to this date.

medal:
Medal obverse
The medal bears a map of the world, bronze in colour, surrounded by olive
branches and bearing the letters UN on the top inscribed in bas-relief.

Medal Reverse
The medal reverse contains the expression IN THE SERVICE OF
PEACE inscribed in bas-relief.

ribbon:
oBvERSE The medal Ribbon has a very wide central band of a sandy brown colour,
representing the Sahara Desert, with two narrow bands of UN blue at
either end.

Qualification:
Qualifying period of 90 days of service in the mission area.

REvERSE

RIBBoN

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