GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT STRONGLY CONDEMNS KILLINGS OF UN STAFF IN KOSOVO AND BURUNDI

Press Release
GA/SM/109

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT STRONGLY CONDEMNS KILLINGS OF UN STAFF IN KOSOVO AND BURUNDI

The following statement was issued today by the President of the General Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia):

Once again, United Nations staff members have paid the ultimate price in the line of duty. They sacrificed their lives in Kosovo and Burundi while serving the cause of peace. The loss of three staff members within a 24-hour period underscores the often difficult and dangerous conditions under which United Nations personnel serve.

The deaths of Valentin Krumov in Kosovo, and Luis Zuniga and Saska von Meijenfeldt in Burundi, bring to 13 the number of civilian staff killed this year alone in the field of operations. This saddening statistic indicates a sharp increase in attacks on United Nations personnel, and calls for effective measures by governments and particularly parties in armed conflict situations to ensure the safety and security of United Nations personnel and other humanitarian workers.

I strongly condemn these wanton acts of brutality against peacemakers and peaceworkers, and call upon the international community to assist the United Nations to further intensify public education with a view to putting an end to the loss of innocent lives.

In Kosovo, on Monday evening, Mr. Valentin Krumov, a 38-year-old Bulgarian national, was brutally assaulted by a crowd and then shot dead on a street in Pristina. Mr. Krumov had just arrived in that city to take up his assignment with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). He became UNMIK’s first casualty. An eyewitness reported that he was shot after replying in Serbian when asked for the time.

In Burundi, on 12 October, Mr. Luis Zuniga, a 52-year-old Chilean national and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) representative, and Ms. Saska von Meijenfeldt, a 34-year-old Dutch national and World Food Programme (WFP) Logistics Officer, were brutally killed in a road ambush. They were part of an inter-agency team that was carrying out an assessment of humanitarian needs in a camp for displaced persons. Seven Burundian nationals also lost their lives, and several others were seriously injured in this terrible tragedy.

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Justice demands that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes be apprehended and prosecuted. Such criminal acts committed within the territory of a Member State must not go unpunished.

While many such incidents are carried out by lawless elements outside the control of governments, Member States can and must play a decisive role by ensuring scrupulous adherence to international humanitarian law instruments, including the relevant Conventions. The 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, which entered into force this year, establishes the legal framework for protecting United Nations staff members in situations of armed conflicts.

Today, we mourn the untimely deaths of United Nations staff members, whose loyalty and commitment to the noble ideals of the United Nations remained unflinching to their last breath.

In this hour of sorrow and bereavement, I commend the courage and dedication of those who faithfully put their lives on the line in the service of the United Nations and humanity. It was with this in mind that I told United Nations personnel last month, on the occasion of the United Nations Millennium Staff Day: “You are the lifeblood of the United Nations.” For, whenever a staff member is killed in the line of duty, all of us bleed. We must ensure the safety and security of those who carry the United Nations flag, especially those staff members in the field -– in peacekeeping missions or at United Nations outposts throughout the world.

On behalf of the General Assembly, I extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families and friends of those who lost their lives in the cause of peace.

Let us today pledge, individually and collectively, to do all in our power to stem the tide of violence that destroys hope and impedes peacekeeping and peace enforcement in the world.

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