Chitete Mwenechanya (L), who wears around her neck the medal awarded to her late husband, wipes her tears during a ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York, May 24, 2019. A Malawian soldier, who gave his life to save a comrade-in-arms in a UN operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in November 2018, was posthumously awarded the highest and most prestigious recognition for UN peacekeeping on Friday. The Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage was awarded to Private Chancy Chitete. His family received the medal on his behalf from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A Malawian soldier, who gave his life to save a comrade-in-arms in a UN operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in November 2018, was posthumously awarded the highest and most prestigious recognition for UN peacekeeping on Friday.
The Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage was awarded to Private Chancy Chitete. His family received the medal on his behalf from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The Diagne Medal, established in 2014, is named for the late Captain Diagne who saved hundreds of lives in 1994, before he was killed while serving as a UN peacekeeper in Rwanda.
The inaugural medal was presented to Captain Diagne's family in his honor in 2016. Private Chitete was the first UN peacekeeper to get the medal after Captain Diagne.
At the award giving ceremony, Guterres hailed Private Chitete as a true hero.
"He saved his comrades and helped the UN protect the vulnerable. He personally made a difference -- a profound one."
On Nov. 14, 2018, Tanzanian and Malawian peacekeepers came under heavy fire while conducting an operation to stop attacks on local towns by an armed group that was disrupting the Ebola response.
During the operation, Private Chitete and his unit held their ground and provided covering fire, allowing those in harm's way to move to a secure location.
Before it was Private Chitete's turn to fall back, he saw a badly wounded Tanzanian peacekeeper, who lay stranded as the militia approached. Private Chitete dragged the Tanzanian soldier back to an area of greater safety as bullets were flying. As he was protecting his wounded comrade and administering life-saving first aid, Private Chitete himself was hit by enemy fire and later died.
Private Chitete's selfless heroism and sacrifice helped the peacekeepers achieve their objective and dislodge the militia from its stronghold and that was vital for the Ebola response to go on, said Guterres.
"We could not have found a more deserving recipient (of the medal). We found in Private Chitete a man who not only walked in Captain Diagne's footsteps but also shared in his heart the same humanity."
He said Private Chitete will always be remembered by his brothers-and-sisters-in-arms in Malawi, Tanzania and the DRC, and by the UN family.
