UN honors fallen Moroccan peacekeeper Karim Temara
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres paid a solemn tribute to Corporal Karim Temara, a member of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) who lost his life in 2024 while serving with MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the annual ceremony honoring UN staff who died in service, the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal was posthumously awarded to the Moroccan peacekeeper.
Morocco's Ambassador to the UN, Omar Hilale, along with Colonel Najim Assid, military advisor to Morocco's Permanent Mission, attended the tribute, which was held Thursday at the UN headquarters.
The ceremony also honored the memory of more than 4,400 UN peacekeepers who have fallen since 1948, including 57 who died in 2024. «We salute the courage of these men and women who died far from home, serving humanity's most noble cause: peace», Guterres said. He also recalled that over two million peacekeepers have served in 71 missions across the world.
Ambassador Hilale extended his condolences to the families of the fallen and praised the commitment of peacekeepers dedicated to peace, security, and universal values.
Ahead of the ceremony, a military parade featured three FAR officers stationed at the UN Department of Peace Operations in New York.
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