New York – A strong tribute will be paid posthumously, this Thursday, May 27 in New York, to three Guinean soldiers, fallen as martyrs, in the field of peacekeeping. These peacekeepers died in 2020 in northern Mali where they were on mission.
Tribute will be paid to these peacekeepers on the sidelines of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers celebrated today at the Organization’s headquarters in New York.
The Secretary General, Anthony Guterres, will lay a wreath in honor of the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who have fallen under the UN flag since the first peacekeeping mission in 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony for the presentation of the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian personnel from 44 countries who lost their lives in 2020 and earlier this year.
The soldiers from Guinea who will be honored posthumously are: 2nd Class Moise Oulafe, 2nd Class Ouo-Ouo Sonomou and Sergeant Sidiki Kone who worked in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Guinea is the 31st country contributing troops and police personnel to UN peacekeeping operations. More than 700 Guinean soldiers and police are currently deployed in UN missions in Abyei, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, South Sudan and Western Sahara.
In a message on the Day, the Secretary-General said of fallen peacekeepers: “Their service and contributions will never be forgotten”. He added: “I express my deep gratitude to the 85,000 civilian, police and military personnel currently deployed in some of the world’s most difficult conflict areas to protect vulnerable people and help build peace. Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, as well as the risk of infection, these men and women continued their mission while also supporting local authorities in the fight against COVID-19. I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the peacekeepers who were victims of this terrible disease ”.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was established by the General Assembly in 2002 to honor all men and women serving in UN peacekeeping operations. and to honor the memory of those who gave their lives for the sake of peace.
Africaguinee.com
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