Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday announced the deaths of the first two U.N. peacekeepers from COVID-19. He made the announcement at a ceremony marking the International Day of U.N.
Peacekeepers, saying both peacekeepers, who died Thursday and Friday, were serving in Mali. The U.N. said one was from Cambodia and the other from El Salvador.
Guterres said the coronavirus pandemic has changed almost everything, but not “the service, sacrifice and selflessness” of the more than 95,000 men and women serving in the 13 U.N.
peacekeeping missions around the world. According to the U.N. peacekeeping department, there have been 137 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in U.N.