UN set to honour three fallen peacekeepers from Kenya

Nairobi. The UN will today honour 117 peacekeepers, among them three Kenyans, at the global organisation’s headquarters to mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

A statement from the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Nairobi said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will lay a wreath to honour all fallen peacekeepers during the ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjold Medal will be awarded posthumously to 117 military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives while serving in peacekeeping operations during 2016.

Corporals Joseph Kandie and Albert Nziu Muthui served with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS); and Charles Nyawara Sidede served as a civilian staff member in the UN Operation in Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI).

In a video message, Guterres said that peacekeepers help bring peace and stability to war-torn societies around the world, adding that the UN pays tribute to the more than 3,500 peacekeepers who have given their lives in the service of peace since 1948.

“Their sacrifice only strengthens our commitment to ensuring that UN peacekeepers continue to protect civilians in harm’s way, promoting human rights and the rule of law, removing landmines, advancing negotiations and securing a better future in the places they are deployed. Now, more than ever, it is essential that we continue investing in peace around the world,” he remarked.

More than 96,000 uniformed personnel from 124 troop-and-police-contributing countries serve under the blue flag, alongside more than 15,000 international and national civilian staff and nearly 1,600 UN Volunteers.

Kenya currently deploys 274 military and police personnel to the UN operations in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, South Sudan and Sudan.

The Day was established by the General Assembly in 2002 to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

The Assembly designated May 29 as the Day because it was the date in 1948 when the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), began operations in Palestine.(Xinhua)