Nepali peacekeeper Anil Gurung died in a militia raid in the Democratic Republic of Congo on April 5. The 32-year-old Nepal Army private was serving with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO).

Gurung was born in Gurbhakot Municipality of Surkhet district. When he was 14, he was abducted by the then Maoists and conscripted into the rebel force. When he finally managed to return home, Gurung’s father took him to Kathmandu.

In 2009, Gurung joined the army at the age of 20, and married a year later. 

For several years Gurung served in the army’s Krishna Dal Battalion in Itahari, Sunsari before arriving in Kathmandu in 2021 to participate in peacekeeping training.

He passed the training and was deployed as a UN peacekeeper to the conflict-ridden DR Congo in December 2021.

On April 5, the UN blue helmets came under attack from the militia group Coopérative pour le dévelopement du Congo (CODECO), at Bali of Djugu territory in Ituri province.

Gurung, who was gravely injured in combat, was airlifted to a UN hospital. He died in the course of treatment.  A military ceremony was held at MONUSCO camp to honor Private Gurung, who was remembered as a man “dedicated to the duty, proud to carry the flag of his country”. 

MONUSCO force commander General Marcos De Sá Affonso Da Costa described Gurung as a hero who sacrificed his life for peace in DR Congo.

“With such a heaviest price paid, Private Anil Gurung has honored his country, his family, and the Nepali armed forces,” he said. 

General Johnny N. Luboya, Ituri provincial military governor, said Gurung’s death was not in vain but “a sacrifice for peace to return to Ituri and to Congo.” 

Similarly, Captain Salima Ghale of MONUSCO’s Nepali contingent said Gurung’s death is not only a great loss for Nepal Army but also for the whole peacekeeping force in DR Congo.

“His sacrifice for the noble cause of peace will be ever remembered. The precious life we ​​have lost is a continuation of the glorious history of the United Nations, of the tremendous efforts and sacrifices made for humanity,” added Ghale.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his condolences to Gurung’s family, as well as to the government and people of Nepal. 

Gurung’s body was brought to Nepal on April 12, and the Nepal Army held a tribute ceremony in Shree Birendra Hospital, Chhauni on April 13.

He is survived by his wife and their nine-year-old son.

Birth: 1990, Gurbhakot, Surkhet
Death: 5 April 2022, Bali, DR Congo