UN Chief honors fallen Moroccan Blue Helmet

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal to 1st Corporal Karim Temara, a member of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces, during a ceremony held lately at UN Headquarters in New York. Temara died in 2024 while serving with the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

The medal was handed over to Morocco’s Permanent Representative to UN Omar Hilale in presence of Military Advisor Colonel Najim Assid.

On this occasion, the UN Secretary General paid tribute to the more than 4,400 peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. Last year, 57 military, police, and civilian peacekeepers fell under the UN flag and were honored with posthumous medals.

In his message, the UN Chief said: “Today, we honor their service, we draw our inspiration from their resilience, dedication, and courage. And we remember all the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for peace.”

Today, nearly 70,000 men and women serve as UN military, police, or civilian personnel in 11 conflict zones in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Currently, 119 UN member countries provide UN Blue Helmets. Morocco is one of the major contributors to UN peacekeeping operations with 1,700 military and police peacekeepers deployed in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.