Two Army officers killed in Mali honoured by UN

Thursday, 30 May 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Two Sri Lankan Army officers who were killed during United Nations peacekeeping duties in Mali have been posthumously awarded the ‘Dag Hammarskjöld’ medal, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said yesterday.

The annual United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Medal Awarding Ceremony was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on 24 May, to honour 119 military, police and civilian personnel who had sacrificed their lives whilst performing duties in several UN field Missions during the period 1 January 2018 to 4 February 2019.

Platoon Commander Maj. H. W. D. Jayawickrama of the Light Infantry Battalion of the Sri Lanka Army and Sgt. S. S. Wijekumara of the Sri Lanka Army, who lost their lives on 25 January 2019 whilst on duty in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), were awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld medal at this ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, UN Secretary General António Guterres said: “Today, as we honour our fallen colleagues with the Dag Hammarskjöld medal, let us also honour them by living up to his call to never abandon the pursuit of peace.” The Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York, Dr. Rohan Perera represented Sri Lanka at the above ceremony and accepted the medals on behalf of the families of the Sri Lanka military personnel who lost their lives during the tour of duty.