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General News on Thursday, May 30, 2019
Source: GNA
2019-05-30
In all, 98 peacekeepers, including two Ghanaians, were killed in 2018
Ghana has joined the rest of the world to lay a wreath in the honor of United Nations peacekeepers who lost their lives while serving under the United Nations flag last year. .
In all, 98 peacekeepers, including two Ghanaians, perished serving the cause of peace in 2018.
The fallen Ghanaian peacekeepers are Frank Sammy Kwofie, of the DCP, who served with UN police in the United Nations Mission and the African Union in Darfur (UNAMID); and Corporal Mercy Adade, who served with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL).
The theme of this year's United Nations International Day of Peacekeeping Forces is "Protecting Civilians, Protecting Peace" in order to draw the world's attention to the state of civilians in the world. peacekeeping service.
Dr Owen Kaluwa, Country Director for the World Health Organization (Ghana) and Resident Coordinator, read a speech on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stating that since 1948, when the United Nations peacekeeping mission was established, more lives in the service of the United Nations. He said: "Just last year, we lost 98 peacekeepers," including the two Ghanaians.
He paid tribute to those peacekeepers who, for the sake of peace and their efforts to restore normalcy in the conflict zones, had paid a lot for their lives, leaving behind their families, their friends and their loved ones.
"We recognize the sacrifices and selfless contributions of PDP Frank Sammy Kwofie, CPL Mercy Adade and the many fallen peacekeepers. May their souls rest in peace and their families and loved ones be comforted, "he added. Mr. Kaluwa noted that in 14 peacekeeping operations on four continents, the United Nations peacekeeping operations deployed more than 88,000 members of the armed and police forces, nearly 13,000 members of the United Nations civilian staff and 1,300 United Nations Volunteers from 124 Member States.
"We are proud to recognize that Ghana is the ninth largest contributor of uniformed personnel to United Nations peacekeeping operations, with nearly 2,800 military and police personnel badigned to United Nations peacekeeping operations at the United Nations. Abyei, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Mali and the United States. Middle East, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Western Sahara. "
He said this year that the UN marked the twentieth anniversary of the Security Council's mandate to protect civilians, adding that peacekeepers protect men, women and children from violence every day. , often at personal risk.
Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defense, announced that this year, Ghana had lost a peacekeeper in Syria and offered its condolences to bereaved families and friends on behalf of the Government and the people of Ghana. He stated that Ghana was one of the first countries to respond to the UN's call to provide officers for peacekeeping and that it was ranked 9th contributor to the maintenance of peace. peace in the world and 4th in Africa.
He noted that Ghana enjoyed relative peace on the continent and urged men and women to jealously protect themselves from threats that could undermine their peacekeeping efforts.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Dr. Charles Wiredu, Dr. Kaluwa, Mr. Nitiwul and the representative of the wives of fallen heroes, in turn, laid wreaths on behalf of the government and the government. Ghanaian people, United Nations, security services and government. Fallen heroes, respectively.
At a special event as part of the commemorations in New York, the UN chief paid tribute to the late Malawi soldier Chancy Chitete, who was shot by enemy fire while he was there. Protected and administered first aid to save his life, Corporal Omary. .
Private Chitete only became the second winner of the most prestigious award given by the UN to peacekeeping forces, the "Medal of Captain Mbaye Diagne for Outstanding Courage", which was created in 2014 for uniformed and civilian personnel who meet the criteria. first posthumous prize-winner – who saved hundreds of lives in Rwanda in 1994, before being killed.
"The world is not a lot of real heroes," said the UN chief, but Private Chitete, who was part of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO ), was "actually one of them".
Last November, while conducting an operation to end armed attacks that disrupted the Ebola response in local cities, peacekeepers came under heavy fire. As the bullets flew, Private Chitete brought Corporal Omary back to an area of "greater security," Guterres said.
"Both were evacuated for medical treatment. Corporal Omary survived. Private Chitete did not do it.
After the laying of the wreath, the UN chief returned to 119 brave men and women the Dag Hammarskjold Medal.
"Fifty-eight years ago, Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld died in a plane crash in Congo while he was trying to negotiate a peace agreement to end the conflict in the country," he said. Guterres said, calling the former UN leader fearless champion of peace "who took" energetic measures as needed ".
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