Dag Hammarskjöld took over as the UN’s top official in April 1953 and served until his death at the age of 56.
At the time of the accident, he was traveling in a chartered ‘Douglas DC6’ aircraft along with other UN staff. The aircraft, registered as SE-BDY, crashed near Ndola, Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) on 17–18 September 1961.
Former Secretary-General Hammarskjold was on his way to negotiate a ceasefire between UN peacekeepers and separatists in Katanga, a breakaway region of Congo. There was also the prospect of a peace treaty for the new, independent Congo.
14 of the 15 passengers on board died instantly, and one seriously injured person died later.
Initial reports by Rhodesian authorities attributed the crash to pilot error, but this conclusion has been disputed.
Several possibilities have been considered based on eyewitness accounts, such as multiple aircraft, possibly a jet, seen in the sky.
Aircraft SE-BDY caught fire, was shot at, or was chased by another aircraft before crashing.
On the first day of his second term as UN secretary-general, former UN chief Dag Hammarskjold moves from UN headquarters to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where the mayor of New York City has hosted a banquet in his honor.
investigative steps
Over time, the UN General Assembly has made multiple attempts to investigate the death of the former Secretary-General. The most recent inquiry was conducted in December 2022, led by former Chief Justice of Tanzania Mohamed Chande Usman.
He has, in the past, also been a part of the investigation process into this accident and several other incidents surrounding it.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday sent the report prepared by the former chief justice of Tanzania to the United Nations General Assembly.
Important information
UN Secretary-General’s Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haque said, “This latest investigation update has provided important information to the UN General Assembly.”
This information relates to information secretly received by Member States about the plane crash, the ability of the Katanga Armed Forces to attack the SE-BDY aircraft and the involvement or presence of foreign agents in the incident.
Additional information about the events that took place in 1961 has also been shared.
“Based on (Mr Osman’s) review at this stage, it is possible that an external attack or threat could have caused the accident,” the UN deputy spokesman said.
They also considered alternative possibilities, according to which the incident could have been caused by deliberate sabotage or unintentional human error.
The site in Ndola, Zambia, where former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold’s plane crashed.
printed document
According to the investigator, it is almost certain that until now some important information has been suppressed, which is in the documents of the member states, but has not been made public.
A deputy UN spokesman said the former chief justice, who is leading the inquiry, had asked some member states for information, but had received no response.
The UN Secretary General has also drawn the attention of the member countries and requested them to provide relevant information.
“Concrete progress has been recorded. The Secretary-General calls on all of us to re-strengthen our resolve and resolve to ensure that the full truth of what happened on that night in 1961 is known.”
An ‘extraordinary’ personality
Sweden’s Dag Hammarskjold was appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations at the age of 47. He is the youngest top officer of this organization so far.
He is seen as a reformer and visionary diplomat. He worked to strengthen the United Nations at a time of global tension, while countries in Africa and Asia were breaking free from colonialism.
His leadership was crucial in the turbulent events of 1956. He led cease-fire missions in the Middle East and continued until the Suez Canal crisis.
During the Suez crisis, he played a role in negotiating the withdrawal of foreign forces from Egypt and oversaw the deployment of the United Nations’ first emergency peacekeeping mission.
The former General Secretary is known for his honesty and dedication in public service. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for transforming the United Nations into an effective and creative international organization in accordance with the principles and objectives expressed in the Charter of the United Nations.
He is the only Nobel laureate to receive this award posthumously.