Sergeant Matias Reyes of MONUSCO is among two recipients who will be awarded the Mbaye Diagne Medal on June 5, a distinction created to recognize military personnel, police officers, and civilian staff who demonstrate exceptional courage in the performance of their duties.
Originally from Uruguay, Sergeant Matias Reyes helped secure the entrance to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) base in Goma in January 2025, while witnessing violent clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces and the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group. The peacekeeper repeatedly braved heavy gunfire and rescued wounded Congolese soldiers attempting to seek refuge at the Blue Helmets’ base.
Despite the obvious risks, he helped transport 12 critically wounded soldiers to the temporary medical tent set up by UN peacekeepers, going far beyond the call of duty and thereby saving their lives.
Still serving under the blue flag in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sergeant Matias Reyes will be represented by a member of Uruguay’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations during the medal ceremony on June 5, held as part of the commemorations of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers at UN Headquarters in New York.
During the same ceremony, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will also posthumously award the Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage to Sergii Prykhodko of Ukraine.
In March 2025, Mr. Sergii Prykhodko, from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, volunteered to replace a less experienced colleague during a high-risk air evacuation mission aimed at extracting a group of besieged soldiers in Upper Nile State. Tragically, Mr. Prykhodko lost his life and two crew members were injured when their helicopter came under fire during the mission.
