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In Memoriam -
In remembrance of those members of the UN Family who lost their lives
in the earthquake in Haiti, 12 January 2010

Watanga "Didier" Lwango, 1971 - 2010

Audit Assistant (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Mr. Watanga Lwango

Watanga Lwango, a national of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who was commonly known as “Didier,” started his UN career in 2001 with the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) in the Finance department.

Four years later, he joined the Special Court for Sierra Leone based in Freetown, and worked there for three years as a cashier in the Finance Section.

During his time there, he was known as a “true professional” and praised teasingly as being “such a nice person” because he was the one responsible for issuing pay checks. A colleague from Freetown recalled that Didier displayed “very good skills and competency” at work.

Didier left Sierra Leone for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) seeking “better job security” and “greener pastures,” his colleagues said. He was stationed in Port-au-Prince where he joined MINUSTAH’S Office of Internal Oversight Services in the Internal Audit Division.

“Didier was always calm, and smiled at anyone who came in contact with him. He was very friendly to anyone who met him for the first time,” said a colleague. Another added, “His smile was infectious and he always seemed to be happy no matter what was happening around him.”

Didier was also dubbed “the best dressed man in Sierra Leone,” said a friend who noticed that he wore a “new tie every time I saw him.”

A colleague now serving in Phnom Penh recalled Didier’s “down-to-earth and friendly” manner and how he would sit with the national staff for lunch at the Special Fork canteen and eat local dishes.

A former colleague from Sierra Leone said, “Didier was a true gentleman and I was glad to have known him.”

Didier is survived by his wife, Pacific, and two daughters, Victoria, 2, and Marie-Ange, an infant.