New York [US], October 19: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has submitted an updated report to the President of the UN General Assembly on the results of an independent investigation led by Judge Mohamed Chande Othman.
The investigation, commissioned by the UN Secretariat, examined the circumstances of the tragic death of former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold and 15 members of his accompanying team in a plane crash over Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, in September 1961.
Guterres highlighted that the report presented significant new information, including the potential interception of relevant communications by member states, the possible ability of the Katangese armed forces or other entities to launch an attack on the Secretary-General's flight, and the presence of foreign paramilitary and intelligence personnel in the area.
The report also included new details concerning the context and events surrounding 1961.
The report concluded that it remains plausible that the cause of the crash was an external attack or threat, while alternative hypotheses, such as sabotage or unintentional human error, also remain viable.
Secretary-General Guterres expressed encouragement at the disclosure of new information by some member states and the continued commitment of key member states to cooperate with Judge Othman. He also expressed his gratitude for the cooperation and coordination of the independent entities from member states, as well as individual researchers.
Guterres noted to Judge Mohamed Chande Othman's belief that critical, undisclosed information still exists in the archives of certain member states, and Othman's assessment that he has not yet received specific responses to his inquiries from some of these states.
The Secretary-General stated that he has personally followed up on Judge Othman's requests for information, urging member states to release any relevant records in their possession.
Former UN Secretary-General Hammarskjold died in 1961 in a plane crash in the Congo while en route to Zambia to resolve the Congo crisis at the time. Hammarskjold was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961 for his efforts to resolve the crisis, becoming one of only three individuals to receive the award after their death.
Source: Emirates News Agency