Addis Ababa, 25 May 2019: At the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Peace and Security Building in the AU headquarters, a memorial wall was officially inaugurated in honour of the heroes and heroines of the African Union (AU), who paid the ultimate price in AU peace support missions across the continent.

These include AU mandated and AU authorized missions such as; the AU Mission in Comoros, Ethiopia-Eritrea (2000), Liberia (2003), Cote d’Ivorie (2003), The Sudan (2004), DRC (2005), the Comoros (2006), Burundi (2006), Somalia (2007 – to date), Sudan - Darfur (2007 - to date), the Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of the Lords’ Resistance Army (2011), Mali (2012), the Central African Republic (2013), the Multi National Joint Task Force against Boko Haram (2015 – to date), the G5 Sahel Joint Force (2017 – to date), the Kingdom of Lesotho (2018 – now closed). They were all deployed to contribute to peace and stability in the affected regions and countries.

Speaking at the ceremony, H.E. Ambassador Smail Chergui, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, recalled that these civilians and soldiers despite working under very difficult conditions, did not spare any efforts to brave the odds and to uphold human dignity. In his words, “Our heroes are our stars. Some paid the ultimate sacrifice and others are maimed for life. Today we honour the blood they shed for us. They remain alive in our minds, men and women of courage, who made the greatest sacrifice. They will inspire us for years to come.”

Other speakers included H.E. Ambassador Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission, and H.E. Ambassador Osama Abdelkalek of Egypt cum Chairperson of the AU Permanent Representatives’ Committee (PRC); who all lauded the sacrifices made by our African heroes and heroines for greater peace and stability on the continent.

Over one hundred high-level personalities in attendance, from the Commission leadership, Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), AU Staff and AU Partners, observed a minute of silence in honour of these noble Africans who distinguished themselves in the service of Humanity. This was followed by the “laying of the memorial wreath”, in which the speakers were joined by H.E. Ambassador Toba Sebade of Togo on behalf of the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC), and H.E. Ambassador Ranieri Sabatucci, the European Union (EU) Representative to the AU.  

This inauguration ceremony which took place on “Africa Day”, the day on which the then Organization of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU), was founded in 1963; captured the symbolic essence of Africa’s gratitude and recognition of its sons and daughters who have given and continue to give of themselves the greatest sacrifice possible, for a more peaceful and prosperous Africa.


For more information please contact:
                                                                                                
Mr Paschal Chem-Langhee
Communication Officer
Peace and Security Department
African Union Commission
Mobile: +251-929 4877 49
Email: Chem-LangheeP@africa-union.org

African Union (AU)
Peace and Security Department
Conflict Management Division
Tel. No. : +251-115-513 822
Fax: +251-115-519 321
E-mail: situationroom@africa-union.org or situationroom@ausitroom-psd.org
 
Follow us on twitter: @AU_PSD
Like us on Facebook: Peace & Security Dept of the African Union Commission

Posted by Jonathan Doe

Last updated by Limi Mohammed

We use cookies on our website and mobile app to improve content display and overall user experience. The cookies we use do not store personally identifiable information nor can they harm your computer.
We intend to provide you with the right knowledge on-demand at the right time and in the appropriate format to ensure that you engage the African Union constructively in your specific role.
If you have any questions please contact directly PSD web Administrator at shashlm@africa-union.org

COMMENTS