University researchers have made allegations that the US and UK impeded a United Nations investigation into the fatal 1961 airplane crash that resulted in the death of UN secretary general Dag Hammarskjöld.
The UN Assistant Secretary General for Legal Affairs, Stephen Mathias, provided an update on the progress of the inquiry at a conference in London. The inquiry is currently gathering archived documentation from member states.
The individuals stated that the US and UK had been slow to provide crucial information.
In 1961, a Swedish man named Hammarskjöld passed away while en route to discuss a truce between UN troops stationed in the Congo and separatists from the seceded area of Katanga.
The Douglas DC-6 plane belonging to him crashed in the vicinity of Ndola, which was then known as Northern Rhodesia (now called Zambia). This resulted in the death of Hammarskjöld and the other 15 people on board. Although the initial investigation conducted by authorities in Rhodesia concluded that it was due to mistakes made by the pilot, this conclusion was met with disagreement.
According to eyewitness reports, a separate aircraft and bursts of light were spotted in the sky. There were Belgian mercenaries present in the vicinity, along with French and British intelligence agents. American intelligence agents were keeping track of communications from Cyprus and recorded transmissions indicating that the United Nations plane was being targeted.
In 2017, the United Nations reexamined the case with the involvement of Mohamed Chande Othman, a Tanzanian judge. Othman recommended the hiring of impartial officials to supervise the examination of archives in countries that may possess pertinent data.
According to the organizers of the conference on Thursday, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and the Westminster United Nations Association, Belgium, Sweden, and Zimbabwe showed sincere efforts, while the US and UK responses displayed complete incompetence and disregard for the UN investigation.
According to Susan Williams, an author whose book “Who Killed Hammarskjöld” sparked a new investigation by the UN, the United States and United Kingdom are worldwide exceptions.
Williams stated that 142 out of 193 UN member states co-sponsored the latest general assembly resolution to resume the investigation, excluding the US and the UK.
Both the United States and the United Kingdom maintained that they were offering complete collaboration to the Othman investigation.
A spokesperson from the US State Department stated: “The United States takes Judge Othman’s inquiries very seriously and has previously given him access to declassified documents.”
A representative from the UK’s Foreign Office stated: “The Dag Hammarskjöld inquiry has received full cooperation from the UK and will continue to do so. We have supplied all pertinent information in our possession.”
Paul Boateng, who previously served as the UK’s ambassador to South Africa, emphasised the importance of continuing efforts in the pursuit of democracy, upholding the international rule of law, and supporting the United Nations, all of which are facing growing challenges.
Every possible effort should be made to uncover the truth. The alleged assassination of a United Nations secretary general is a very serious offense that cannot be forgotten with the passing of time.
Source: theguardian.com
