United Nations honours fallen peacekeepers

Peacekeepers who lost their lives in missions under the UN yesterday received posthumous medals to honour their bravery during the Peacekeepers Day which was marked at the UN headquarters in New York and in other countries around the world. The UN honoured 111 peacekeeping personnel who died last year and paid tribute to some 3,000 others who have fallen in the line of duty since the first peacekeepers were deployed 65 years ago. Those who were honoured from last year’s losses include five Rwandans. These include Sergeant-Major Jackson Muhanguzi, Sgt. Jean Claude Tubanambazi, Sgt. Ally Hassan Bisangwa, Pte. Innocent Muhayimana and Police Superintendent Camarade Rukabu who died last year serving in UN peacekeeping missions in Darfur and Haiti. At a ceremony to honour the fallen peacekeepers in New York, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that the organisation has been working to improve safety for its personnel but he admitted that peacekeeping remains a dangerous mission that only requires those who are brave to answer to it. “Whatever the cause of death, we honour all fallen peacekeepers for their sacrifice, courage and selfless service on behalf the United Nations,” he said, noting that UN peacekeepers don’t only die from violence but also diseases and bad infrastructure standards in areas where they serve. Late servicepersons from last year’s UN operations received the Dag Hammarskjold medal to celebrate their bravery. The medal is named after Dag Hammarskjöld, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations who died in a plane crash in 1961. Rwanda is the sixth major troop and police contributing country in the UN with more than 4,000 troops, 400 police officers, and 13 military observers serving in different countries. Yesterday, the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) and Rwanda National Police (RNP) shared the forces’ sympathy for the fallen members. The Military and Defence spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita, used the opportunity to highlight the role of Rwanda’s peacekeepers in providing services to protect lives and build communities in areas where they have been deployed. “They died fulfilling their professional duty of service to mankind,” Brig. Nzabamwita said. According to the RNP spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police Theos Badege, family members, colleagues, and friends of those who lost their lives in the UN mission will never forget them. He also pledged that the force will continue to serve in UN missions for the cause of peace. Rwanda’s army and police forces are serving in peacekeeping missions under the UN in Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and Liberia.