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Bangladesh News Bangladesh In United Nations Peacekeeping
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Bangladesh Army chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed visited the peacekeeping mission area of the Bangladesh Army on the first day of his Sudan visit on Tuesday.
During a meeting, he learned about various issues related to the peacekeeping mission from the Bangladeshi peacekeepers.
He later provided valuable guidance to the peacekeepers. He also inaugurated the Bangabandhu Free Medical Clinic in the Murta Village area of Kadugli.
The chief of the Bangladesh Army paid a courtesy call on UNISFA Force Commander Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr.
Bangladesh Deputy Force Commander Brigadier General Bakir, heads of various agencies, 14 division commanders, governor of Kadugli, local village heads, local dignitaries and media persons were present among others.
Army chief: Military, civil administration must work for people’s welfare
They are closely involved in some cases of security along with disaster management and implementation of development projects, General Shafiuddin says
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Looks like army is going to deploy it's Mi 171sh for UN mission.
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The United Nations started pulling out around 15, 000 troops, police, and civil staff, including over 1,679 Bangladeshis, from Mali on Saturday, a day after the Security Council unanimously approved the complete withdrawal of peacekeepers from the landlocked West African country.
According to the UN news site, the decade-old UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali will completely withdraw from the country by December 31, 2023.
The decision came following a call from the Malian government to withdraw from the peacekeeping mission ‘without delay’.
Malian foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop also denounced the failure of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali, also known as Minusma, to respond to security challenges, Agence France-Presse reported on June 17.
Quoting Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, UN News reported that Guterres remained concerned by the fact that the level and duration of the financial commitment authority required to facilitate the drawdown process had been significantly reduced during budget negotiations in the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee.
Farhan added that this increased the complexity and risks of the drawdown operation.
The UN chief also urged all the signatory parties to the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali ‘to continue honouring the ceasefire as MINUSMA withdraws,’ the spokesperson said.
The UN said that secretary-general Guterres would continue to engage with the transitional government on how best to serve the interests of the people of Mali in cooperation with the UN Country Team in Mali, the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, and other partners.
As of Friday, the UN had at least 11,676 military personnel, 1,588 police personnel, and 1,792 civilians deployed in Mali. At least 174 peacekeepers were killed during the peacekeeping mission in Mali.
According to UN statistics, Bangladesh is the second-highest contributor to the Minusma, with 1,396 members from the military, 283 from the police, and other staff officers.
At least 18 Bangladeshi personnel have so far died in Mali since the UN mission was established in the country in 2013 to prevent the extremists’ takeover.
Mali had the second-highest Bangladeshi deployment after the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Monusco, where, as of May 31, the highest number of 1,872 military, police, and civil staff were deployed.
Bangladesh Army personnel were deployed to seven UN peacekeeping missions.
According to the Bangladesh Armed Forces Division, currently, four contingents from the Bangladesh Army called BANBAT, BANSIG, BANMIC-QRF, and BANENGR and one contingent from the Bangladesh Air Force called BANASMU are deployed in Minusma.
As of May 31, Bangladesh is the highest peacekeeper contributing country with 7,278 peacekeepers, including 6544 military personnel. Over 21 per cent of them were posted in Mali.
No foreign ministry official or Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate director, Lieutenant Colonel Abu Hayder Mohammad Rasheluzzaman, was available for comments.
This announcement comes less than a week after the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2023 preparatory meeting in Dhaka.
The UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the UN under-secretary-general for management strategy, policy, and compliance, Catherine Pollard, attended the meeting, among others.
The UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting will be held in Ghana in December 2023.
During the discussion with UN officials on June 25, foreign minister AKM Abdul Momen highlighted Bangladesh’s strong commitment to fulfilling the UN’s target to increase female peacekeepers.
Momen, according to a foreign ministry press release, observed that new digital technologies had created new scopes for effective peacekeeping operations.
The UN news also reported that the Security Council authorised the mission to respond with force to imminent threats of violence to civilians and contribute to the safe civilian-led delivery of humanitarian assistance, up to September 30.
While Minusma did not achieve all of its goals, Mali’s ambassador, Issa Konfourou, said that the mission had made gains in areas such as human rights.
Ahead of the withdrawal, he said the Malian government would ensure compliance with the mission disengagement terms within the established timeframe.
www.newagebd.net
According to the UN news site, the decade-old UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali will completely withdraw from the country by December 31, 2023.
The decision came following a call from the Malian government to withdraw from the peacekeeping mission ‘without delay’.
Malian foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop also denounced the failure of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali, also known as Minusma, to respond to security challenges, Agence France-Presse reported on June 17.
Quoting Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson of UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, UN News reported that Guterres remained concerned by the fact that the level and duration of the financial commitment authority required to facilitate the drawdown process had been significantly reduced during budget negotiations in the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee.
Farhan added that this increased the complexity and risks of the drawdown operation.
The UN chief also urged all the signatory parties to the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali ‘to continue honouring the ceasefire as MINUSMA withdraws,’ the spokesperson said.
The UN said that secretary-general Guterres would continue to engage with the transitional government on how best to serve the interests of the people of Mali in cooperation with the UN Country Team in Mali, the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, and other partners.
As of Friday, the UN had at least 11,676 military personnel, 1,588 police personnel, and 1,792 civilians deployed in Mali. At least 174 peacekeepers were killed during the peacekeeping mission in Mali.
According to UN statistics, Bangladesh is the second-highest contributor to the Minusma, with 1,396 members from the military, 283 from the police, and other staff officers.
At least 18 Bangladeshi personnel have so far died in Mali since the UN mission was established in the country in 2013 to prevent the extremists’ takeover.
Mali had the second-highest Bangladeshi deployment after the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Monusco, where, as of May 31, the highest number of 1,872 military, police, and civil staff were deployed.
Bangladesh Army personnel were deployed to seven UN peacekeeping missions.
According to the Bangladesh Armed Forces Division, currently, four contingents from the Bangladesh Army called BANBAT, BANSIG, BANMIC-QRF, and BANENGR and one contingent from the Bangladesh Air Force called BANASMU are deployed in Minusma.
As of May 31, Bangladesh is the highest peacekeeper contributing country with 7,278 peacekeepers, including 6544 military personnel. Over 21 per cent of them were posted in Mali.
No foreign ministry official or Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate director, Lieutenant Colonel Abu Hayder Mohammad Rasheluzzaman, was available for comments.
This announcement comes less than a week after the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2023 preparatory meeting in Dhaka.
The UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the UN under-secretary-general for management strategy, policy, and compliance, Catherine Pollard, attended the meeting, among others.
The UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting will be held in Ghana in December 2023.
During the discussion with UN officials on June 25, foreign minister AKM Abdul Momen highlighted Bangladesh’s strong commitment to fulfilling the UN’s target to increase female peacekeepers.
Momen, according to a foreign ministry press release, observed that new digital technologies had created new scopes for effective peacekeeping operations.
The UN news also reported that the Security Council authorised the mission to respond with force to imminent threats of violence to civilians and contribute to the safe civilian-led delivery of humanitarian assistance, up to September 30.
While Minusma did not achieve all of its goals, Mali’s ambassador, Issa Konfourou, said that the mission had made gains in areas such as human rights.
Ahead of the withdrawal, he said the Malian government would ensure compliance with the mission disengagement terms within the established timeframe.
Peacekeeping mission in Mali ends
The United Nations started pulling out around 15, 000 troops, police, and civil staff, including over 1,679 Bangladeshis, from Mali on Saturday, a day after...
www.newagebd.net
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Soldiers with the Bangladesh Army conduct cordon and search training during #KerisAman.
The primary purpose of a cordon and search is to isolate a location to search the area for armed groups or material of evidentiary and peacekeeping-intelligence value.
The primary purpose of a cordon and search is to isolate a location to search the area for armed groups or material of evidentiary and peacekeeping-intelligence value.
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Army Chief: Bangladesh military's global contribution transcends peacekeeping
'UN peacekeeping missions can show Bangladesh's commitment towards global peace'
Nurul Islam Hasib
Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed has said that the Bangladesh military is contributing not only through peacekeeping missions but also in various other capacities worldwide following the country’s foreign policy.
He also highlighted that military personnel are trained not just for combat but also for conflict prevention and resolution to safeguard national interests.
General Shafiuddin Ahmed made these remarks during his address at a seminar titled "Defence Diplomacy: Strategy for Bangladesh” on Thursday.
The seminar, organized by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), featured General Shafiuddin Ahmed as the chief guest.
Ambassador AFM Gousal Azam Sarkar, chairman of BIISS, presided over the seminar. Major General Md Abu Bakar Siddique Khan, director general of BIISS, delivered the opening remarks. Lieutenant General Waker-Uz-Zaman, chief of general staff, Bangladesh Army was also present at the seminar.
Senior officials from different ministries, high officials from embassies and high commissions, former diplomats, senior civil and military officials, media, academia, researchers, faculties and students from various universities, and representatives from international organizations participated in the seminar.
Professor of International Relations at Dhaka University ASM Ali Ashraf elaborated on the evolving concept of defense diplomacy and its role in advancing foreign policy objectives.
BIISS Research Fellow ASM Tarek Hassan Semul addressed the growing geopolitical competition, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of defense diplomacy for Bangladesh.
Retired Major General Main Ullah Chowdhury shared insights on defense diplomacy within the United Nations and other international missions, emphasizing avenues for exploration.
Retired Air Vice Marshal Mahmud Hussain discussed current practices of defense diplomacy and future trajectories, with a specific focus on Bangladesh.
The speakers said from Bangladesh’s perspective, defense diplomacy is regarded as an important mechanism for using armed forces in a non-coercive manner that helps to attain the country’s national interests and foreign policy goals.
They also said that participation in the United Nations Peacekeeping missions—a form of defense diplomacy—is an avenue for Bangladesh to demonstrate its commitment towards global peace and stability as well as enhance its importance and influence worldwide.
Five tasks
The army chief said: “Diplomacy is nothing but an effort by any member of a country with a foreign country to achieve national interest by any form you can define in so many ways.”For Bangladesh, he said, the sustained economic development by maintaining national security will be prime national interest. “So, whatever we do to achieve them, I think it is all falling in the same line.”
He highlighted the five tasks the Bangladesh military performs.
“First, it is our duty to defend our motherland, maintain sovereignty of the country, and we remain prepared for that. Second, innate to civil power, we do a lot of nation building activities. Third, we do disaster management. And this disaster management sometimes goes beyond our national boundary.
He said Bangladesh military contributed to disaster management areas in China, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Philippines, Kuwait and Turkey, among others.
“Fourth, in aid to civil power, the army also does some internal security duties. He cited Chittagong Hill tracts as an example. The fifth thing that we do is our overseas employment,” he said.
“And it's not limited to only through the UN peacekeeping operation. It goes beyond that,” he said, citing the example of Kuwait where more than 5,500 people are employed. All of them are not military.
“We have employed a good number of civilians over there, though it is known to be an army unit,” the army chief said, terming it a contribution of Bangladesh army to national interest.
“So while we have military engagement, keeping in mind to achieve our national interest, any action to me is military diplomacy.”
He said when he interviews contingent commanders for UN peacekeeping missions or while talking to them, “we advise at any level that, remember while you are doing this mission, you are also an ambassador of Bangladesh. So do not do anything which defames Bangladesh. Do everything that brings name and fame for Bangladesh that's meaningful, the soft power and that helps for subsequent engagement of Bangladesh to that country for the benefit of Bangladesh. So these are inbuilt. This has not started now, it is always there.”
He said the defense policy has given “a clear guideline of our engagement in achieving this national interest that you might call defense diplomacy or military diplomacy.”
He also emphasized better coordination among different departments of the government.
“There is no denying the fact that all the organs of the government are working in achieving national interest. It is only better to find opportunities or the most conducive environment to work together. It is impossible to succeed alone and how to collaborate, that is the challenge.”
Contribution beyond peacekeeping
The Army chief said the chief of general staff will very soon go to Central Africa to hand over a few thousand pairs of military uniforms to them.“And also, we are giving some other gears to some of the countries,” he said.
“We have indigenously produced some remotely operated vehicles, which is a good innovation for the Bangladesh Army. And thus, we are saving a lot of foreign currency which earlier we needed to import. And we are going to hand over some of the equipment to the Peruvian army also very soon,” he said.
“So, this will also help us in growing our relation, especially in the context of UN peacekeeping, because this initiative came in while we had been discussing one of the platforms where the member states can help each other in capacity building. And Bangladesh said that we will be doing this for the Peruvian army.
“So, it's giving one insight to many that Bangladesh is capable of contributing not only in the form of peacekeeper troops, but also in the other form. We also did the same with Gambia,” he said.
“We have agreed to give some of the equipment and things to the Gambian army and thereby we will have in future joint forces operating the Gambian and Bangladesh army together in UN peacekeeping operations.”
“We have also handed over military vehicles to Maldives armies. We are doing this very regularly, so we are on the right track.”
He, however, said as military personnel, they do not only learn how to fight a war, but also how to prevent or avoid a war to achieve our national interest.
The National Defense College is never aimed at teaching you the art of warfare, rather how to avoid war or how to enhance their diplomatic capabilities, he said.
“But at the same time, we never forget that the main role of the military forces is to protect the sovereignty of the country. That is our primary goal. And we should be ready to do that.
“Intention can change overnight, but capabilities do not change overnight. You are my friend today. What happens if you are not my friend tomorrow? So we should be capable of defending our national interest, our motherland, and be capable of,” he said.
“But the main foreign policy dictum, set by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - friendship to all, malice towards none - has set every tone for us.
“And I would like to give you a word that as chief of Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh army is doing everything in contributing, in achieving that foreign policy,” he asserted.
“And wherever there is an opportunity, whether it is told or untold, we grab and do everything so that it only fetches benefits for Bangladesh and Bangladesh becomes Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by our father of the nation.”
Engagement with Myanmar military
There was a suggestion about Myanmar that whether Bangladesh has a scope to engage more with Myanmar military leaders to narrow down the gap.The army chief, however, said some of the Myanmar military leaders face international sanctions.
“So there is a risk of, you know, putting ourselves into trouble while you do that because all (of the countries) are our friends. So to make one friend happy, we cannot antagonize another one,” he said.
“So it's a dynamic that we have to look into and at the same time the practical connotation has to be taken into consideration. And I would like to ascertain that we are doing our best and we are on the right track.”
