The United Nations, on Friday, honoured 126 men and women who died in 2014 while on peacekeeping missions.
Among them are four Nigerians, namely: Lance Corporal Silas Danyawu and Lance Corporal John Julius from the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur; and Corporal Adama Ike and Sergeant Rabiatu Musa, who both served with the United Nations Mission in Liberia.
In an online statement marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, the organisation’s Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, stressed the “invaluable contribution” of peacekeeping to the history of the UN and reaffirmed his commitment to improving the effectiveness of ‘blue helmets’ in the coming years.
The annual event is commemorated on May 29 each year to salute peacekeepers who served in some of the world’s most volatile and dangerous environments.
He said, “Since its beginning in 1948, UN peacekeeping has evolved into one of the main tools used by the international community to manage complex crises that threaten international peace and security.
“Throughout its history, the UN has established a total of 71 peacekeeping operations. More than one million military, police and civilian personnel have served as UN peacekeepers, including 125,000 in the sixteen missions in operation today.“Through years of struggle and sacrifice, the iconic Blue Helmet has earned its place as a symbol of hope to millions of people living in war-ravaged lands. UN peacekeeping has given life to its Charter’s aim, ‘to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.”
The statement added that the day exists as a chance to mourn fallen peacekeepers, noting that during its history; more than 3,300 “Blue Helmets” have died devoting their lives to peace, including 126 men and women in 2014.
To mark the Day at the UN headquarters, Ki-Moon participated in a wreath-laying ceremony in the morning, then presided over a ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjöld medal was awarded posthumously to the military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations last year.
Nigeria is the ninth largest contributor of military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping. It currently deploys 2,975 military and police personnel to the UN peacekeeping operations in Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Western Sahara
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