Two UN peacekeepers in Mali have died from the coronavirus, officials said Friday, noting that they are the first to die because of the pandemic out of some 100,000 troops deployed on about 15 different missions around the world.
"Unfortunately, I also want to say that yesterday and today two of our military colleagues have passed away due to COVID-19," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, during a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York to honor the peacekeepers killed in conflict.
He added that both members were of MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.
According to AFP, it is the hardest-hit mission, with 90 cases of infection, 43 recovered and the two deaths.
Including soldiers, police officers, civilians and all affiliated personnel, as of Friday there were a total of 137 cases of the coronavirus throughout the peacekeeping missions, with 53 recovered and the two dead, the UN reported.
The UN also said other cases have been reported among peacekeepers in South Sudan, Israel, Libya and Darfur.
In 2019, 83 soldiers, police officers and civilians in 39 different countries were killed during peacekeeping missions.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
