On 28 January 2022, MINURSO paused all operations as SRSG Alexander Ivanko and Force Commander Major General Zia Ur Rehman presided over a solemn ceremony held in Laayoune and watched online by the entire mission.  After remarks by mission leadership, Ghana’s national anthem and “Last Post” were played and a guard of honour composed of women peacekeepers from Egypt, Pakistan, Ghana, Hungary, Brazil and Malawi oversaw a minute of silence and the laying of a memorial wreath in the memory of Brigadier General Constance Emefa Edjeani-Afenu, MINURSO’s first female Deputy Force Commander.

Earlier in the week, the UN Secretary-General paid tribute to the former DFC, calling her “ a true pioneer” and highlighting “her tireless work to promote inclusiveness and increase the number of women in the peacekeeping operations where she served.”

All of MINURSO joins the Secretary-General in offering our heartfelt condolences to her family and to the people and the Government of Ghana.

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