On this painful occasion, Mr. Guterres instructed Mr. Hilale to convey his sincere condolences to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, expressing to him the sincere gratitude of the United Nations for the continued support of the Kingdom of Morocco to peacekeeping operations.
This tribute is a recognition of the pioneering role played by Morocco in peacekeeping operations in Africa and around the world, under the far-sighted leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
Mr. Guterres also instructed Mr. Hilale to convey his condolences to the families of the deceased, who died while defending the principles and universal values of peace and stability under the UN banner.
They are the late Lieutenant Mohamed Zerrik and the late Sergeant Rachid Marchich who served in the contingent of the Royal Armed Forces deployed within the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
In a message on this occasion, Mr. Hilale paid tribute to the memory of the honorable peacekeepers who "made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the noblest of all causes, peace".
While expressing, on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco, "sincere condolences to the bereaved families of our brave brothers and to our large family of United Nations peacekeeping forces”, the ambassador voiced his feelings of solidarity and compassion to the members of these families.
He stressed that the memory of these valiant soldiers, “proud to serve the supreme interests of humanity with passion, a great sense of responsibility and values of high duty, will live forever”.
Morocco currently deploys more than 1,700 soldiers and policemen in UN operations in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and South Sudan.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers offers a chance to pay tribute to the uniformed and civilian personnel’s invaluable contribution to the work of the Organization and to honour nearly 4,200 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 135 last year.
The theme for this year’s Day is "People. Peace. Progress. The Power of Partnerships.”