99 Naval staff leave for UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan

A contingent of 99 members of Bangladesh Navy, in its first group, today (9 December) left Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport (HSIA) to participate in the 'Bangladesh Force Marine Unit-11' deployed in the 'United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)'.

Besides, 39 more navy members will also join them in the second group on December 19, said a release of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate this afternoon.

The aforesaid first contingent will serve in South Sudan as a replacement for 'Bangladesh Force Marine Unit-10'.

As per the instructions of the United Nations, the Force Marine Unit of the Navy is deployed in South Sudan as part of establishing world peace.

The troops are ensuring the safe movement of barges carrying essentials, including fuel, food, medicine and humanitarian aid in remote areas of Sudan, monitoring and controlling piracy on waterways, and providing assistance to the local people in firefighting, the ISPR said.

In addition, it regularly works to ensure the safety of civilian sailors working on barges, conducting rescue operations on ships, facing accidents and transporting necessary logistics for the peacekeepers in remote areas.

For more than three decades, the Navy members have been performing their assigned duties with great sincerity, dedication and efficiency in establishing peace in various war-torn regions of the world, the release mentioned.

Apart from South Sudan, the Bangladesh Navy's warship 'BNS Sangram' is deployed in the Mediterranean Sea of Lebanon as the only member of the maritime task force in the subcontinent.
 
As many as 71 logistic operations (Operation Life Line) have been successfully completed along the 1,311-km-long route of the Nile River.

This proud participation has greatly enhanced the image and reputation of Bangladesh in the international arena, the ISPR added.