The United Nations will pay tribute to two Cameroonian peacekeepers, Emmanuel Steve Atebele and Pascal Ekotto Ella, who lost their lives serving under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic.
According to a press release from the UN headquarters, they will be awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal posthumously during a ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York on May 29, 2025.
The ceremony marks the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, established by the UN General Assembly in 2002 to honour the service and sacrifice of peacekeepers worldwide. This year’s theme is “The Future of Peacekeeping,” emphasizing the need to adapt peacekeeping to emerging challenges and new realities. The day will also feature awards to outstanding peacekeepers, including the 2024 Military Gender Advocate of the Year and the UN Woman Police Officer of the Year.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres will lead the ceremony, laying a wreath to honour the over 4,400 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. In his message, Mr. Guterres emphasized the importance of peacekeeping in today’s complex world, saying, “Now more than ever, the world needs the United Nations — and the United Nations needs peacekeeping that is fully equipped for today’s realities and tomorrow’s challenges.”
Cameroon is the 14th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping, deploying over 1,000 military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping operations in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan.
