The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) yesterday in Abyei joined the United Nations family globally to observe the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to Victims of Terrorism and participated observance of the global minute of silence in honour of Victims of terrorism.
“Working in conflicts environment exposes us to high risks of the worst forms of insecurity such as the one that only last week claimed the lives of three peacekeepers and injured two others in Benghazi, Libya when a car bomb was denoted outside a shopping mall,” said UNISFA’s Force Commander and acting Head of Mission, Major General Mehari Zewde Gebremarian in a speech read on his behalf by the Principal Officer, Mr. Alexander Stephane Gerard Rose.
General Mehari stated that even though UNISFA as a mission is not directed affected by any act of terrorism, the mission has lost a number of soldiers while contributing their services to the search for peace and security in Abyei, adding that the International Day of Remembrance of, and Tribute to, the Victims of Terrorism, provides us the opportunity to, not only show solidarity in expressing our condolences to the families and friends of our fallen colleagues who are direct victims of terrorism globally, but also to share in the griefs of the families of our soldiers who have paid the supreme sacrifice in the search for peace and security in Abyei, stressing that while doing so, let us remember that we can pay them no better tribute than to continue with the ideals for which they worked and died so that their deaths will not be in vain.”
Present at the ceremony were both civilian and military components of UNISFA, colleagues from the United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes, United Nations Mine Action Service, while the Chief Administrator of the Abyei Administrative Area, Justice Alor Kuol Alor, also graced the occasion and also laid a wreath in honour of the Terrorism victims.
August 21 has been designated by the UN General Assembly as International Day of Remembrance of, and Tribute to, the Victims of Terrorism aimed at honoring and supporting victims and survivors of terrorism and seeks to promote and protect the full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms. At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the UN Secretary-General presided over series of activities including launching a photo exhibition that featured series of photos of victims and survivors of terrorism demonstrating their individual journey and experience of resilience.