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Rabat – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres honored two Moroccan peacekeepers from the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), on Thursday, as part of the annual commemoration dedicated to civilian and uniformed personnel who died in UN peacekeeping operations in 2023.
Morocco’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Kadiri, attended the ceremony alongside the Military Advisor to Morocco’s Permanent Mission to ONU, Colonel Najim Assid.
The Secretary-General awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal posthumously to Corporal Chef Hafid Nachif and First Class Soldier Driss Hajjaj, both of whom perished on October 2, 2023.
The two soldiers died while carrying out their mission with the Royal Armed Forces contingent deployed to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
At the ceremony, the international community paid tribute to more than 4,300 men and women peacekeepers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace since 1948. Among those honored included the 61 peacekeepers who died in 2023.
Guterres emphasized that “the memory of fallen peacekeepers reminds us of the tragic human cost of conflicts.” He also stressed the indispensability of peacekeepers in today’s challenging and perilous world.
“They show us what peace is like: protecting the most vulnerable, preserving fragile ceasefires, defusing local conflicts, clearing mines and explosive remnants of war, strengthening local institutions and democratic systems on which peace and development depend, and implementing prevention, as we committed to in the New Agenda for Peace,” stated Guterres.
In a message conveyed during the ceremony, Moroccan ambassador Hilale, extended his heartfelt condolences and prayers to the bereaved families of the honored peacekeepers and the broader UN peacekeeping family.
Paying tribute to the invaluable work of the peacekeepers who lost their lives defending the noble cause of peace and security, as well as the principles and values shared within the UN, Hilale called for a commitment to “aspire to continue our efforts every day to build a world of hope and peace for all.”
Read Also: UN Secretary General Honors Lives of Fallen Peacekeepers, Including Moroccan Soldiers
With 1,714 blue helmets deployed in the UN missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Morocco currently stands as the 8th largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping operations.
As one of the top ten contributors worldwide, the country currently deploys 1,718 peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan.
The United States and Morocco also maintain a strong military coalition through joint security operations. Since the late 1990s, Morocco has hosted the African Lion training exercise, which brings together U.S. and Moroccan forces, with participants from more than 20 countries, as well as NATO, for training.
International Peacekeepers’ Day, established in 2002 by the UN General Assembly, annually honors all men and women who serve in peacekeeping operations and commemorates the memory of those who have lost their lives serving the noble cause of peace.
