News
Friday 12 May 2017

Moroccan MINUSCA Soldier Killed in CAR : UNSG Offers Condolences to Morocco

Vocal synthesis
Moroccan MINUSCA Soldier Killed in CAR : UNSG Offers Condolences to Morocco

United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, offered on Sunday his condolences to Morocco following the death of a Moroccan peacekeeper in the Central African Republic.
Moroccan MINUSCA Soldier Killed in CAR : UNSG Offers Condolences to Morocco

"The Secretary-General offers his condolences to the family of the bereaved peacekeeper and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco," a statement by the Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said.

The Secretary-General reiterates that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and strongly condemns attacks against the civilian population and MINUSCA and calls on the Central African Republic authorities to investigate the attacks in order to swiftly bring those responsible to justice, the source added.

The Secretary-General reaffirms the determination of the United Nations to advance the implementation of MINUSCA’s mandate and extends his deep appreciation to MINUSCA's troop and police contributing countries for their support, the statement pointed out.

These recent incidents amply demonstrate that the situation in the Central African Republic is still fragile hence the need for continued and sustained regional and international support to overcome the challenges at hand, it added.

The Secretary-General is outraged by the attacks perpetrated by suspected anti-Balaka against civilians and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) on 12 and 13 May, in the town of Bangassou, in the south east of the country, the source went on.

These attacks led to significant population displacement, an undetermined number of civilian casualties and the death of one Moroccan peacekeeper, bringing to six the number of peacekeepers killed in the Central African Republic this week.

MAP 14 May 2017