The body of a UNIFIL French peacekeeper, who passed away last week in a road accident in south Lebanon, was sent home today following a solemn ceremony in Beirut to pay tribute to her life and work with UNIFIL. 

At the ceremony in Rafik Hariri International Airport, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, Lebanese Army Representative Brig. Gen. Ahmad Saadeh, French Ambassador Herve Magro and UNIFIL’s French Contingent Commander Col. Geoffrey de Hauteclocque laid wreaths in honour of Sergeant Fany Claudin. 

The UNIFIL head and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) representative also awarded posthumously the deceased peacekeeper UN and LAF medals respectively for her dedicated service in support of UNIFIL’s mandate in south Lebanon. 

Speaking on behalf of the entire UNIFIL family, Lt. Gen. Lázaro expressed deepest condolences to the loved ones of Sgt. Claudin and to the French Armed Forces.

“Her service to peace and dedication to the mission were exemplary and deeply valued,” the UNIFIL head said at the airport ceremony. “Even in our grief, we are reminded of the unwavering commitment and courage that our colleague demonstrated, embodying the very essence of our mission to serve peace and stability in this region.”

Sgt. Claudin, who died aged 23 on 15 November, was in a convoy headed to the UNIFIL Headquarters in Naqoura when the accident occurred along the coastal road near the village of Shama. Three other peacekeepers sustained light injuries in the accident. 

Having joined the French Army in 2020, Sgt. Claudin arrived in Lebanon late last month to serve with UNIFIL as an assistant patrol leader. This was her second foreign deployment, having served in Niger from October 2022 to February 2023. 

She hailed from Annemasse in eastern France. 

Earlier in the day, a separate memorial ceremony was also held at the UNIFIL French Contingent’s main base in Deir Kifa in south Lebanon.