Kinshasa, 4 April 2011 – The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) paid homage to the memory of the victims in the April 2011 UN plane crash.

At the mission's main headquarters in Kinshasa, Roger Meece, Head of MONUSCO and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of Congo, led the ceremony, which included a wreath laying and a minute's silence. "Our fallen colleagues were working in the best tradition of the United Nations, far from home in dangerous places. They gave their lives in the service of humanity; their dedication will continue to inspire us," said Mr. Meece in a message addressed to MONUSCO staff.

A similar ceremony was held at the Lasonia building which houses several United Nations agencies in Kinshasa. This was also the case in the different sectors across the country where MONUSCO has established offices.

The UN flight 834 arriving from Kisangani, Province Orientale, with 29 passengers and four crew members on board, crashed in the early afternoon on 4 April 2011 while landing at Kinshasa N'Djili International Airport, killing 32 persons, including all crew members. Most of the victims were staff members of the United Nations system.

Penangnini Toure/ MONUSCO