This morning, UNIFIL and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) paid tribute to the life and work of Master Sergeant Tomasz Fąfara of UNIFIL’s Polish contingent.

Master Sergeant Fąfara passed away of natural causes on 21 November 2023 while serving for peace in south Lebanon.

At a solemn ceremony at Rafik Hariri International Airport, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lieutenant-General Aroldo Lázaro and representatives of the LAF laid wreaths in Master Sergeant Fąfara’s honour and awarded him posthumous UN and LAF medals.

“Master Sergeant Tomasz Fąfara was a remarkable member of the Polish national support element deployed at UNP 2-45, who had pride in the work he was doing supporting his fellow mates in the front line, and pride in the fact he was representing his country, Poland, and its armed forces far away from his homeland,” said Lieutenant-General Lázaro.

Master Sergeant Fąfara joined the Polish Armed Forces in 2007 as a member of the 3rd Radio Engineering Battalion in Wrocław. After graduating from NCO school in 2009, he commandedthe command vehicle in 10. Armoured Cavalry Brigade in Świętoszów, and was promoted several times in the Brigade.. He arrived in Lebanon on 21 September 2023, serving as the Clerk and Deputy Head of the Polish Contingent, and was known as a talented athlete.

Since 1978, over 330 peacekeepers have died while serving for peace in south Lebanon.