The fallen blue helmets – Chief Warrant Officer Linere Nibigira, Master Corporal Patient Niyonkwizera and Master Corporal Eric Ntunzwenimana from Burundi; Warrant Officer Halidou Koue Nassourou from Cameroon; and Sergeant Mohammed Ibrahim from Bangladesh – were honored for their service for peace and security in the Central African Republic (CAR).
The somber ceremony was marked by the presence of the Central African Minister of Defence, Marie-Noelle Koyara, and many members of the Mission’s civilian, military and police personnel, including Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Mankeur Ndiaye, the Deputy Special Representative, Denise Brown, MINUSCA Force Commander General Daniel Sidiki Traoré and Police Commissioner, Brigadier General Pascal Champion.
The three peacekeepers from Burundi lost their lives on 25 December 2020 while fighting to protect civilians against an attack by armed groups in Dekoa, Kémo prefecture.
Chief Warrant Officer Linere Nibigira was born in Munago in 1980. He joined the Burundi National Defence Force in 2005 and twice served with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) before joining MINUSCA on 27 August 2020. He is survived by a wife and five children.
39-year-old Master Corporal Patient Niyonkwizera from Mparambo joined the Burundi National Defence Force in 2001. He too had served with AMISOM. He joined MINUSCA on 4 March 2020 and was nearing the end of his mission in the Central African Republic. He also leaves behind five children and a wife.
Master Corporal Eric Ntunzwenimana from Remera, aged 35, joined the Burundi National Defence Force in 2005. He was particularly noted for his work with the presidential guard. Like his comrade, he joined MINUSCA on 4 March 2020 after having previously served with AMISOM and was only a few weeks away from returning to his country.
The Chief of the MINUSCA Burundi Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Pierre Hakizimana, hailed the courage of his countrymen: “We share with them their record that should be our collective pride – the lives of the children, women and families they saved in Dekoa.”
A tragic traffic accident on the Bangui-Boali axis during an escort mission on 2 January this year took the life of Warrant Officer Halidou Koue Nassourou at the age of 40. A member of the Cameroon Armed Forces since September 2000, he was deployed to MINUSCA on 5 June 2020. Cameroon Contingent Commander Colonel Richard Nzamayo Mba praised him for having “distinguished himself with his intelligence, loyalty and hard work”.
Sergeant Mohammed Ibrahim, also aged 35, was deployed to Bouar barely two months ago, on 19 November 2020. He had served with the Bangladesh Armed Forces since 2003. He passed away on 27 December from acute cardiac arrest after one of the regular patrols carried out by the contingent. Contingent Commander, Colonel Mohammed Raisul, remembered him as “a brave, skilful and dedicated soldier”. He was a married father of three sons.
In a moving tribute, the MINUSCA Chief Mankeur Ndiaye, said that the “five brave men died so that Central Africans could live in security and dignity. They paid the price for their commitment to make this country a better place”. He furtherdescribed their service as testament to the firm commitment of MINUSCA and the UN to the people and government of CAR as they struggle to restore peace and stability to a country that has long suffered from the horrors of war.
He added: “All of them leave behind families and brothers in arms who will mourn their deaths for a long time. I join them in their grief and sorrow. Nothing can replace these losses.”
He extended his gratitude to the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Cameroon and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh “as friends of CAR and as troop-contributing countries to the MINUSCA Force and Police” since the early days of the Mission in September 2014.
For his part, the MINUSCA Force Commander General Daniel Sidiki Traoré hailed the fallen peacekeepers as “gallant soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives to save the lives of others in the name of peace”.
All five peacekeepers were awarded the “medaille de chevalier de l’ordre national de la reconnaissance Centrafricaine” – one of the highest honors in the Central African Republic.
