Two Rwandan peacekeepers honoured with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal

The United National Secretary-General, António Guterres awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal posthumously to all UN personnel including Military, Police and Civilian components who lost their lives during service in peacekeeping operations. For Rwanda, the medal was awarded to Sergeant Major Fiston Murwanashyaka and Corporal Eliakim Niyitegeka, who lost their lives while serving in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The two were honoured on Thursday, 29 May, during a ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York, markin

The United National Secretary-General, António Guterres awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal posthumously to all UN personnel including Military, Police and Civilian components who lost their lives during service in peacekeeping operations. For Rwanda, the medal was awarded to Sergeant Major Fiston Murwanashyaka and Corporal Eliakim Niyitegeka, who lost their lives while serving in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The two were honoured on Thursday, 29 May, during a ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York, marking the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. During the event, Secretary-General Guterres laid a wreath in tribute to more than 4,400 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. Since that year, over two million UN peacekeepers have served in 71 operations across the globe. Currently, around 68,000 men and women are deployed as military, police, and civilian personnel in 11 conflict zones throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. A total of 119 countries contribute uniformed personnel to these missions. Rwanda is the second-largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping, with nearly 5,900 military and police officers including 660 women deployed in missions in Abyei, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.