UNIFIL paid tribute to Staff Sergeant Milovan Jovanović, 36, of the Republic of Serbia, the UNIFIL peacekeeper who died last Thursday after being critically injured when mortar shells struck his position near Marjayoun, at a solemn ceremony in Beirut.
Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Diodato Abagnara honoured the life and service of Staff Sergeant Jovanovic, 36, at the ceremony held at the airport in Beirut. He is the seventh peacekeeper to pay the ultimate price for the cause of peace in south Lebanon since the resumption of the hostilities in early March.
“Like all of us, Milovan left his home country and his loved ones to serve a mission dedicated to stability, dialogue and peace,” said Major General Abagnara. “Your example reminds us of the importance of looking after one another and of working as one team”.
“Dear Milovan, today we escort you on your final journey home. Thank you for your service, for your commitment, for standing with us for peace,” the UNIFIL head continued. “We admired your sense of duty and sacrifice. Your duty is complete, we will take it from here.”
Staff Sergeant Jovanovic is survived by his wife, daughter and son. When he arrived in January this year to serve with UNIFIL, this was his first overseas deployment.
Two other peacekeepers, injured in Thursday’s attack, are stable and receiving treatment at a UNIFIL medical facility in south Lebanon.
Also present at today’s ceremony in Beirut were Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia, Milan Trojanović; Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain, Miguel de Lucas González; representative of the Lebanese Ministry of National Defence and the Lebanese Army, Brigadier General Maroun Azzi; UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Imran Riza, who also represented UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and other fellow peacekeepers.
Deliberate attacks on peacekeepers are grave violations of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701 and may amount to war crimes. They must be urgently investigated, and the perpetrators must be prosecuted and held accountable.
