Encouraged by Group of Friends, launched by India, to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers: U.N. Staff Union

The United Nations Staff Union said that at least 32 United Nations peacekeeping personnel — 28 military and four police, including one woman police officer — were killed in deliberate attacks in 2022

The United Nations Staff Union has said it is encouraged by a platform launched by India last year to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers, as it noted that 32 U.N. peacekeeping personnel, including two Indians, were among those who lost their lives in deliberate attacks in 2022.

Sanwalaram Vishnoi and Shishupal Singh, two police officers from India, and Azzouz Znaidi, a peacekeeper from Morocco, all three serving with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), were killed and a police officer from Egypt injured when violent protesters targeted the mission’s base in Butembo, North Kivu in July 2022.

The United Nations Staff Union said that at least 32 United Nations peacekeeping personnel — 28 military and four police, including one woman police officer — were killed in deliberate attacks in 2022.

“Peacekeepers and the civilian personnel who work side by side with them are on the front lines of the United Nations' work in the world’s most challenging environments. We honour the memory of our 32 colleagues whose lives were taken in 2022,” United Nations Staff Union President Aitor Arauz said.

“Each malicious attack against UN personnel is a blow to peacekeeping, one of the pillars of the multilateral edifice. It is a collective responsibility of the international community to put in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure accountability for these heinous acts, which may constitute war crimes under international law,” Mr. Arauz said.

Mr, Arauz added that to this end, "we were encouraged by the launch in 2022 of the Group of Friends to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. We look forward to seeing Member States’ strong commitment on this issue lead to tangible outcomes on the ground.”

India launched the ‘Group of Friends’ to promote accountability for crimes against peacekeepers’ during its Presidency of the UN Security Council in December last year. India, Bangladesh, Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal are co-chairs of the ‘Group of Friends’.