Sergeant Rico, the Second TNI Personnel to Fall in Israeli Attack on 29 March
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Sergeant Rico Pramudia has become the second TNI personnel to fall as a result of an artillery attack indicated to originate from Israel against the position of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on 29 March.
UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, stated that Sergeant Rico passed away on Friday (24/4) after being treated for nearly a month due to injuries suffered in the incident that occurred in Adchit Al-Qusayr. The same incident caused the death of Sergeant Farizal Rhomadhon.
“UNIFIL’s initial findings in the investigation indicate that a projectile fired from an Israeli Merkava tank struck the UNIFIL position, resulting in the deaths of Sergeant Farizal Rhomadhon and Sergeant Rico Pramudia,” said Dujarric in a press statement broadcast by the UN, monitored in Jakarta on Saturday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres conveyed his deepest condolences over Sergeant Rico’s death to his entire family and colleagues, as well as to the government and people of Indonesia.
With Sergeant Rico’s death, six UNIFIL personnel have now been killed amid the escalation of warfare between Zionist Israel and the Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon since early March.
“The Secretary-General once again urges all parties to comply with their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel,” stated Dujarric.
He emphasised that peacekeeping personnel must be protected because attacks against them constitute violations of international humanitarian law and UN Security Council Resolution 1701 of 2006, and could amount to war crimes.
The UN Secretary-General also stressed the importance of all forms of attacks on UNIFIL personnel being thoroughly investigated and those responsible being held legally accountable, said Dujarric.
With Sergeant Rico’s passing, Indonesia has now lost four TNI soldiers while serving with UNIFIL in southern Lebanon in the past month.
Sergeant Farizal Rhomadhon died from the artillery attack on 29 March in the same incident that initially left Sergeant Rico injured. Then on 30 March, Captain Inf Zulmi Aditya Iskandar and Staff Sergeant Muhammad Nur Ikhwan fell when the convoy they were escorting was attacked.
In addition to Indonesia, France has also lost two of its soldiers serving with UNIFIL after their patrol was attacked on 18 April, amid escalating tensions in southern Lebanon.