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Rabat – Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, otherwise known as MONUSCO has honored Moroccan peacekeepers deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a ceremony held on Tuesday in Kananga.
The Moroccan Embassy in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, said in a statement that the “battalion forming the Moroccan contingent deployed in DRC, under the command of Colonel Zakaria Sahili, was decorated by Lieutenant General Elias Rodriguez Martins Filho, Commander of the Monursco Forces.”
The statement added that the Moroccan peacekeepers received the medals of merit in recognition of their “commendable services” in the UN mission.
Moroccan ambassador to Kinshasa Rachid Agassim attended the ceremony along with the Naval Attache Zine Hrizou.
Representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCR) as well as several officers representing other countries also took part in the ceremony.
Morocco is an active contributor to MONUSCO, with a contingent of more than 1,300 troops deployed in the DRC, particularly in Kasaï (the center of the country) and Bunia in North Kivu.
The Moroccan forces are strengthened by a number of female peacekeepers. There are 25 female members in Kananga, including five officers.
The Moroccan military enjoys a very good reputation, both in the regions of their deployment and the Congolese authorities.
In addition to the medals of merit attributed to Moroccans on Tuesday, UN also honored the sacrifices of Moroccan volunteers in UN Peacekeeping Operations on May 29.
Morocco contributes more than 2,100 uniformed peacekeeping volunteers. It also ranks 13th in the world for peacekeeper contribution, and has been “an essential partner of United Nations peacekeeping operations for many years,” said UN peacekeeping spokesman Nick Birnback.
“We thank them for their commitment to preserving international peace and security, especially in Africa,” Birnback said.
