Secretary-General Statements

The Secretary-General is outraged by reports that at least 95 civilians, including women and children, have been killed and many injured following an attack yesterday on Sobanou-Kou village, Mopti region, in central Mali. He strongly condemns this attack and calls on the Malian authorities to investigate this tragedy and to bring the perpetrators to justice.  The Secretary-General expresses his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the people and the Government of Mali, and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.

The Secretary-General calls for utmost restraint in Sudan and stresses the importance of upholding the human rights of all citizens,including the right to freedom of assembly and of expression.   Noting the Communiqué adopted by the African Union Peace and Security Council during its meeting on 27 May, he welcomes the progress achieved by the parties regarding matters relating to the Transitional Institutions.  

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General The Secretary-General is concerned by the developments in the Golan on 27 May. He calls on the parties to the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement to respect the terms of the Agreement and to closely liaise with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) to prevent any further incidents and escalation of the situation.

I am honoured to join you today to remember the brave women and men who have lost their lives while serving in UN Peacekeeping.   More than 3,800 military, police and civilian peacekeepers have lost their lives since the United Nations deployed the first of its 72 peacekeeping missions back in 1948.    These peacekeepers gave their lives to protect others and to give war-torn countries a chance for peace and hope.   Today, in 14 missions around the world, our peacekeepers serve heroically to preserve peace and stability.