UN Expresses Condolences on the Death of Praka Rico

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) expressed condolences over the death of Head Soldier (Praka) Rico Pramudia, an Indonesian soldier in the UNIFIL peace mission who suffered serious injuries due to an attack in southern Lebanon in late March.

The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said he was "deeply saddened" to have to convey the death of "a peacekeeper of great courage".

"Corporal Rico Pramudia from Indonesia, who suffered critical injuries on March 29, has died from his injuries. I express my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and to the Indonesian National Army and the Indonesian government," Lacroix wrote on the X social media platform, Friday, April 24.

Previously, UNIFIL announced the death of Praka Rico (31), after being treated for almost a month in a hospital in Beirut due to his serious injuries.

"UNIFIL is concerned about the death of Praka Rico Pramudia, who was seriously injured by a projectile explosion at his headquarters in Adchit Al Qusayr on the night of March 29," UNIFIL said in a statement on X.

Following the announcement of UNIFIL, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs again strongly condemned the Israeli attack which resulted in the death of Indonesian peacekeepers.

Attacks against peacekeepers are a serious violation of international law and can be categorized as war crimes.

Indonesia also continues to urge the UN to conduct a thorough, transparent, and accountable investigation to uncover the facts and ensure accountability for this incident.

With the death of Praka Rico, Indonesia has lost four TNI soldiers while serving with UNIFIL in southern Lebanon in the past month.

The TNI soldier who previously fell was Praka Farizal Rhomadhon who fell due to artillery attacks on March 29 in the same incident that initially injured Praka Rico.

Then on March 30, two TNI personnel, namely Captain Inf Zulmi Aditya Iskandar and Sertu Muhammad Nur Ikhwan, were killed when the convoy of troops they were guarding was attacked.

The series of attacks that occurred on March 29-30 and April 3 also caused seven TNI soldiers to be injured, in addition to Praka Rico.

Besides Indonesia, France also lost two soldiers who served with UNIFIL amid an escalation of tensions in southern Lebanon after their patrol was attacked on April 18.