DHAKA, July 8, 2020 (BSS) – The rotation of peacekeepers of Bangladesh Army has resumed in Mali mission.
The first rotation flight of MINUSMA (Mali) Mission – Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 8-300 – carrying 131 peacekeepers, including 29 officers of three contingents of Bangladesh Army, 10 JCOs and 92 other ranks, left Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport here today for Mali, an ISPR press release said.
On July 14 and 18 next, 422 Bangladeshi peacekeepers will leave the country for Mali by two flights. At the first two weeks of August, 650 peacekeepers will go to Mali by three more flights.
On July 10, 15 and 16 next, 553 peacekeepers and at the first two weeks of August, 627 peacekeepers will return home after successfully completing one year and three months peacekeeping operations in Mali.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the rotation activities of Bangladeshi peacekeepers, like other peacekeeping countries, were suspended for the last four months.
So, the periodic deployment of peacekeepers was being disrupted.
UN Secretary General AntónioGuterres issued a timely instruction to address the situation by December 2020.
Following the instruction, Bangladesh Army took immediate steps to this end, which helped resume regular rotation overcoming the ongoing limitations, the press release said.