Bangladesh Police is expected to deploy around 350 personnel to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic (CAR) in October this year.
This will be the first UN peacekeeping mission in CAR for the members of Bangladesh Police.
The UN decided to start sending peacekeepers from different countries to CAR from September 15.
Currently, over 1,750 members, including 190 female, of Bangladesh Police have been performing their duties with reputation in different UN peacekeeping missions in various countries, including Congo, South Sudan, Darfur, Ivory Coast, Mali and Haiti.
Bangladesh Police have been working in the missions since 1988 with view to establishing world peace and harmony.
Sources at the police headquarters said Bangladesh has already given consent to the UN headquarters that they have the capacity to send more peacekeepers as per the requirement.
On March 14, both Muslim and Christian leaders of CAR pleaded the UN Security Council for deploying peacekeepers to the country that has been ripped apart by unprecedented sectarian violence in recent times.
Later, the UN Secretariat requested the member states to provide peacekeepers with adequate capabilities and equipment, and to enhance the capacity of UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to operate and discharge its responsibilities, including specialised competencies and language skill appropriate to discharge the entrusted police task.
A senior officer at the police headquarters, preferring anonymity, said: “The UN headquarters has already sent a request letter seeking contribution to support the MINUSCA.”
He said if all the formalities were completed, two formed police units comprising 140 members each along with 50 more members for the UNPOL would be deployed to the CAR by October.
When contacted, Assistant Inspector General (UN Desk) of the police headquarters, Assaduzzaman, confirmed the deploying of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in CAR.
