Marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on 29 May, UNIFIL’s Gender Advisory Unit and the Mission’s Women Focal Point Margrit Hrandian paid tribute to a Ghanaian peacekeeper, Corporal Mercy Adade, who passed away recently, at a brief ceremony in the Mission Headquarters in Naqoura.

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary, along with Sector West Commander Brigadier General Paolo Fabbri and Ghanaian Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel William Nortey presented a white flower, signifying bereavement, to each of the 70 Ghanaian female peacekeepers present at the ceremony.

In his remarks, the UNIFIL head paid tribute to the life of Corporal Adade, who at the age of 36 left behind a young son.

“CPL Adade was a soldier and a mother, displaying in both functions a natural ability and a talent to relate to others in perfect harmony,” said Major General Beary. “Today, I relay my condolences to you her friends and colleagues and hope that you find solace in the good work she left behind.”

Among UNIFIL’s 42 troop contributing countries, Ghana has the highest number of women in uniform, as of 30 April 2018, followed by Indonesia, France and Tanzania.

CPL Adade passed away in the early morning of 5 April following short illness. She is the 313th UNIFIL peacekeeper to die while serving for peace in south Lebanon in the Mission’s 40-year history.

She was a dedicated, hardworking and professional soldier who served in the Ghana Army for about 11 years. Her journey as a peacekeeper began in Côte d’Ivoire about eight years ago and she fought to keep the flag of peace flying right until the end. She was deployed as a medical clerk to UNIFIL on 22 June 2017 for a one-year tour.

While in UNIFIL, besides performing operational duties, she also participated actively in Ghanaian cultural troupes that performed in the recent Ghana National Day and Independence Day celebrations.