Panafrican News Agency

"Serving peace in Mali is a source of pride," says Tunisian female army officer

Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - On the occasion of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers celebrated on 29 May each year, the United Nations Integrated Multidimensional Mission for the Stabilization of Mali (MINUSMA), Tunisian army officer Chahra Ayachi says being an officer in the ranks of the Blue Helmets is an exhilarating task for her.

"As a communications officer, I have to make sure that I select and suggest the subject matter on which the UNMISMA Force should communicate on social networks," according to Captain Chahra Ayachi, a 34-year-old Tunisian woman and one of the 12,000 UN peacekeepers in Mali.

"It brings me a lot on a personal level. I am proud and happy to serve a noble cause: that of peace," explains Ayachi, a graduate of the Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in France.

The communications officer admits that she enjoys "working in an international setting and in a country like Mali. Chahra also confides that she "loves to discover the Malian people and culture".

Her point of view on the contribution of women in the maintenance of peace is unequivocal: "Each woman is a fighter in her own field, she embodies many values which contribute in a singular and significant way to the building of peace in the world".

"As a woman," she adds, "our presence should not be limited to numbers. Women must be involved, they must be equal to their responsibilities, these are the things that will make it possible to achieve real equality and to see the results on the ground".

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers pays tribute to civilian, police, and military personnel for their invaluable contribution to the work of the UN.

It is also an opportunity to honor the memory of more than 3,900 peacekeepers who have lost their lives while serving under the UN banner since 1948, including 102 men and women in 2019.

The day is celebrated at UN Headquarters in New York, where the Secretary-General lays a wreath in memory of all the peacekeepers who have lost their lives under the UN flag over the past seven decades.

The program includes the posthumous awarding of the Dag Hammarskjêld Medal to fallen peacekeepers in 2019.

The prize for the Promotion of Gender Equality in Peacekeeping was awarded during a video conference.

The international day highlights the role of women under the theme "Women in peacekeeping: a key to peace".

-0- PANA BB/BEH/MTA/VAO 31May2020