Bowman Lusambo laying a wreath on the crash site
Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo says there are still some unanswered questions surrounding the plane crash that killed late UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld.
And Sweden, the country where Dag Hammarskjöld hailed from has disclosed that it will present a motion to the UN Security Council in January when it takes up one of the non-permanent seats on the Council seeking re-examination of the circumstances leading up to the plane crash.
Speaking during a solemn and moving ceremony at the crash site to mark 55 years since Dag Hammarskjöld was killed, Lusambo who was the Guest of Honour said Zambia joins calls that the cause of the mysterious plane crash be established.
He said the testimonies from some eyewitnesses in Twapia Compound, some of them who are still alive should be considered in order to bring closure to the tragedy.
Lusambo said the rest of the world needs to emulate the late Dag Hammarskjöld with his noble mission to promote peace.
He said President Edgar Lungu’s crusade for peace and unity under the umbrella of a One Zambia, One Nation motto should be supported by all including the members of the opposition.
“Let us continue to work for a better life for all, in the memory of Dag Hammarskjöld. Through his deeds and his words, Dag Hammarskjöld remains a source of inspiration for all,” Lusambo said.
At the same event, Swedish Ambassador to Zambia Henrik Cederin revealed that his country will present a motion to the UN Security Council in January when it takes up one of the non-permanent seats on the Council seeking re-examination of the circumstances leading up to the plane crash.
Dag Hammarskjöld was the second Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961.
On the night of 17-18 September 1961, in the course of a UN mission to try to bring peace to the Congo, Dag Hammarskjöld’s Douglas DC-6 airplane crashed in Ndola killing him and fifteen others.