The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix arrives in Malawi today to honor six Malawian soldiers killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month.
According to a statement by the UN, Lacroix will attend a ceremony to honour the soldiers and will meet authorities to express gratitude for their contributions and support to UN peacekeeping.
The peacekeeping chief will also interact with families of the fallen peacekeepers.
“The Under-Secretary-General will be accompanied by the Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Leila Zerrougui as well as the Military Advisor for Peacekeeping Operations, Gen Carlos Loitey,” says the statement.
From Malawi, Lacroix will travel to Tanzania to pay homage to 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers who were killed in an attack in DRC on 7 December 2017.
Lacroix will participate in an event on 14 December to commemorate the first anniversary of the attack.
The six Malawian peacekeepers were killed in the joint United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) operations against rebels, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in the Beni area on 15 November.
The soldiers are Sergeant Steven Kambalame aged 38, Private Chauncy Chitete aged 29, Private Benjamin Nsongela aged 29, Private Simplex Taferakaso, Lieutenant Aubrey Kachemwe aged 35 and Corporal Jonathan Kapichira aged 36.
