United Nations Radio

SG with Emma and Maame Mefful

I wanted to bring us together following the murder of our dear friends and colleagues in Kabul.

Narrator: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the opening last Friday of a town hall meeting for all UN staff to commemorate the lives of those killed in the October 28th attacks in Afghanistan. The Secretary-General shared with the staff what he knew about the attack in the capital, Kabul:

SG 1: Militants attacked a UN guest house where 34 members of the UN Mission were staying. They carried grenades and automatic weapons and wore suicide vests. Two Afghan security guards outside appear to have been killed immediately. Our security officers held off the attackers for at least an hour. These brave men fought in the corridors of the building. They fought from the rooftop. Their actions saved lives many, many lives. I am so grateful for their courage and bravery and sacrifice.

Narrator: Among those killed, said the Secretary-General, were the following UN staff members:

SG 2: Jossie Esto, a Filipina who worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) election team; Lewis Maxwell, a close protection officer from the United States; Laurance Mefful, a United Nations security officer from Ghana; Lydia Wonwene, a UNDP elections officer from Liberia; to this sad list we must add one other person, whose identity needs to be confirmed.

Narrator: Emma, the wife of Laurance Mefful, the slain security officer from Ghana, took part in the town hall commemorative meeting and spoke lovingly of her husband. She said she was privileged to have had a relationship with him for 30 years:

Emma: My dear husband, my best friend, and my pastor as well. He lived a life based on two philosophies: loving his lord and loving his neighbor. It was, therefore, not surprising about his heroic actions at a time of crisis, especially doing something to save the lives of others, that's just really Lawrence. He was just a selfless person and would do anything to make others comfortable, and that's what he did. We are very proud of him: myself, my daughters, and the families and friends are very proud of him.

Narrator: The Secretary-General paid tribute to the men and women in Afghanistan who continue to work under very difficult circumstances. Presently in Kabul, his visit coincides with the announcement by Abdullah Abdullah, President Hamid Karzai's challenger in the August voting, that he was formally withdrawing from Saturday's run-off elections.

Producer: Gerry Adams
duration: 2'48"