A significant mystery in the history of the United Nations remains unsolved: the 1961 plane crash that claimed the life of Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and everyone on board as he sought to negotiate peace in the Congo.
A new assessment released on Friday reveals that “specific and crucial” information is still being withheld by several Member States. Hammarskjöld, who became the youngest UN Secretary-General at the age of 47, was renowned as a visionary diplomat and reformer, playing a vital role in elevating the UN’s stature during a tumultuous period marked by decolonization in Africa and Asia.
Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq noted that “the Secretary-General emphasizes that the Eminent Person is nearly certain that significant undisclosed information exists in the archives of Member States. With progress being made, the Secretary-General urges all parties to reaffirm their commitment to uncovering the complete truth about the events of that tragic night in 1961.”
Hammarskjöld’s leadership was pivotal during the crisis of 1956, where he led a ceasefire mission in the Middle East and effectively managed the Suez Crisis, facilitating the withdrawal of foreign troops from Egypt and overseeing the UN’s first emergency peacekeeping operation, the UN Emergency Force.
Celebrated for his integrity and dedication to public service, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in transforming the UN into a dynamic and effective international organization that upheld the principles of the UN Charter.
Hammarskjöld served as Secretary-General from April 1953 until his untimely death at age 56. On the night of September 17-18, 1961, the Douglas DC6 aircraft he was aboard, registered as SE-BDY, crashed near Ndola in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). He was en route to negotiate a ceasefire between UN peacekeepers and separatists in the Congolese region of Katanga, aiming to establish a broader peace agreement for the newly independent Congo.
The crash on September 18 resulted in the immediate deaths of 15 other passengers, while the sole survivor succumbed to injuries days later. An initial inquiry by Rhodesian authorities attributed the crash to pilot error, a conclusion that has since been contested.
Haq stated, “The Secretary-General has sent the report from the Eminent Person, former Chief Justice of Tanzania, Mr. Mohamed Chande Othman, to the President of the General Assembly… At this point, the Eminent Person believes it remains plausible that an external attack or threat contributed to the crash; other possibilities include sabotage or unintentional human error.”