Karim Temara, a member of Morocco’s peacekeeping contingent in the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, died yesterday after having been electrocuted while trying to operate a water pump, the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) tweeted on X on Wednesday.
انا لله وانا اليه راجعون
استشهاد العريف أول كريم تمارة، إثر صعقة كهربائية أثناء أداء واجبه الوطني ضمن صفوف التجريدة المغربية العاملة بجمهورية الكونغو الديمقراطية، في إطار عمليات حفظ السلام التابعة للأمم المتحدة. بعد تعرضه لصعقة كهربائية أثناء محاولته تشغيل مضخة مائية. pic.twitter.com/1YfcBypHPI
— Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (@MoroccanArmed) September 4, 2024
“We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. Corporal Karim Temara was martyred after having been electrocuted while performing his national duty with the Moroccan contingent operating in the RDC, as part of the UN peacekeeping operations,” FAR said.
In 2022, another member of Morocco’s peacekeeping forces in the Central African Republic died in an attack that targeted Obo airport, while he was securing the airport’s perimeter for a plane to land.
The UN body condemned this attack, deeming it a war crime under international law. It urged the Central African authorities to make efforts to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
Since 1948, more than 75,000 Moroccan personnel have served in 14 missions in different nations. The Kingdom has established 17 field hospitals in these countries providing care to around three million individuals.
In 2015, Morocco lost five troops in peacekeeping operations. Since then, it has grieved the loss of 15 soldiers from 2015 to 2023, primarily in the region encompassing Central Africa and Congo.
The UN utilizes peacekeeping forces, known by their blue helmets, to maintain peace and security amid disputes, to prevent conflicts, and to enforce ceasefires.