UNMEE STAFF PAY LAST RESPECTS TO KENYAN PEACEKEEPER

In a sombre ceremony on 6 August, representatives of the UNMEE community in Asmara paid their last respects to Senior Gunner Jairo Otiso Nyambane, a Kenyan peacekeeper who died of a suspected heart attack at his Point 44 Camp in Sector East on 3 August.

Pall-bearers comprising members of the B Company of the Kenyan Battalion where the late Nyambane was based, carried his coffin, draped in a UN flag, from the hearse to a make-shift podium, as colleagues mounted a parade befitting the occasion. Mourners, led by the Force Commander Major-General Robert Gordon and Special Representative of the Secretary-General Legwaila Joseph Legwaila stood at attention in a hangar at the International Airport that was the scene of an emotional farewell.

The death had come as a shock to the military fraternity, especially to close colleagues who served with Nyambane in KENBATT11. A day before he died, colleagues reported that the Senior Gunner was in high spirits, reminiscing about his family.. "The day before he died, Nyambane was in a very joyous mood. He travelled from Point 42 to Assab where he gave gifts for his family to be forwarded home by fellow Kenyans travelling on leave," said Major Francis Kihanya, the B Company Commander. "He never complained of being unwell or in any way, indisposed."

A recent convert to Christianity, the 43-year-old father of four was in fact, expecting to receive a Bible from his wife, Keremisia Magoma, who had been elated with the news that her husband was now a "born-again" Christian, and consequently, sent him a Bible.

In a tribute that captured the solemnity of the moment, Force Commander Major-General Robert Gordon said: "The death of any person diminishes us all but the untimely death of one of our own on an operational tour of duty is especially poignant. It is stark evidence of our human frailty and is also a strong reminder that as soldiers, we sometimes find ourselves a long way from home and our loved ones at sad moments as this".

In a letter to the wife of the deceased that he read at the occasion, the SRSG said that Nyambane will always be remembered "among those who lost their lives in the advancement of the noble goal of international peace and security."

After prayers and the final wreath-laying formalities, the late Nyambane’s mortal remains were repatriated to Kenya on an Eritrean Airlines flight to Nairobi.

BANENGR DEMINER SURVIVES SNAKE BITE

It was mid morning and de-miners in Sector West were busy in the minefields. The BANENGR de-mining Platoon at Shilalo was about to take a water break when one of the deminers suddenly shouted: "I can feel something hard!" It was an anti-personnel mine and Private A Mannan, an experienced Sapper with the Shilalo de-miners was about to lift a boulder to mark the spot where the landmine had been found when he felt a sharp sting on his right hand. The other deminers then noticed a snake, which looked as if it was getting ready to strike. They realized that it must have been the snake that bit Pte Mannan and were about to kill it when he stopped them. He asked them instead to guide it into an empty water bottle with the use of one of the prodders they use in their demining work.

After doing so, the other deminers quickly brought Pte Mannan back to their camp while arrangements were made to medevac him to a hospital. The was panic however when his colleagues noticed that the injured soldier was showing sings of internal blooding. Fortunately they didn’t have long to wait before the helicopter which was to transport Pte Mannan, arrived. On arrival at the Jordanian Level II Hospital in Asmara an antidote to the snake’s venom was quickly administered but the soldier’s condition remained unchanged. The Jordanian doctors became extremely concerned and were thinking of transferring him to a hospital with better facilities in Djibouti. But as the evening wore on, they noticed a change for the better in their seriously ill patient. His bleeding had reduced considerably and he could open his eyes. Thanks to the Jordanian medical staff, Private Mannan had survived a highly poisonous snakebite. It took about ten days for Pte Mannan to fully recover from his ordeal. Before leaving Asmara for Shilalo, the Pte spent his whole salary on his favourite men’s cologne and clothes. When asked why he had done this, he said that he wanted to enjoy his second life to the fullest. "I really thought I was going to die but now I have been given a second chance and I want to enjoy it. I am proud to be a de-miner and saving lives from landmines," said Pte Mannan.

Private Mannan