Second UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in March 1954. New details released about the death of second UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld UN
Several countries have released new information about the circumstances of the death of second UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in a plane crash in what is now Zambia in 1961. The information is presented in a report released today by Mohamed Chande Othman, who is leading the investigation into Hammarskjöld’s death.
The new information concerns possible interceptions of communications related to the incident by states, the ability of the Katangese armed forces [the military organization of the unrecognized state of Katanga that existed in the early 1960s during the Congo crisis – editor’s note] or others to strike the plane, and the possible presence of foreign paramilitary forces and intelligence officers in the area of the crash.
Mohamed Chande Othman believes that the theory that Hammarskjöld’s plane could have been caused by an external attack is “plausible.” He also noted “alternative hypotheses” that the crash was the result of sabotage.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented the report to the General Assembly on Friday. He issued a statement saying he was “encouraged” by the new information disclosed by UN member states and that “some key Member States” had expressed their commitment to engage with Mohamed Chande Othman.
Hammarskjöld’s Death
Dag Hammarskjöld had served as Secretary-General since April 1953. He died in a plane crash in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, along with 15 other UN staff and crew members on the night of 17-18 September 1961. He was heading to Ndola to broker a ceasefire between the Congolese government and the rebels.
Investigations following the incident concluded that the crash was caused by either adverse weather or pilot error. However, in 2013, the International Commission of Jurists, a group of 60 experts from around the world, called for a new investigation by the United Nations into Hammarskjöld’s death, citing newly discovered evidence that contradicts previous versions and that the crash could have been caused by either ground or aerial fire.
In 2015, the General Assembly decided to open a new investigation into Hammarskjöld’s death. In March of that year, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Mohamed Chande Othman, Tanzania’s top judge, to head an independent panel of experts set up to investigate the death of the former UN chief.
Countries have not provided all the information they have
Secretary-General António Guterres noted Mohamed Chande Othman’s view that it was “almost certain” that specific, important and yet-undisclosed information exists in the archives of Member States. Mohamed Chande Othman also believes that to date he has not received specific responses to specific requests from specific states.
The UN chief called on the international community to reaffirm its commitment “to the search for the full truth about what happened on that fateful night in 1961.”
“The Secretary-General… called on Member States to make public any relevant documents in their possession,” the statement issued by the UN chief’s spokesman said.