Bangladesh Army starts rotation in Mali mission
The first rotation flight of the mission left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Wednesday
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation all over the world, the rotation activities of Bangladeshi peacekeepers, like other sending countries, were suspended for the last four months.
The deployment of peacekeepers was hampered because of the current circumstance, says a press release.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has issued guidelines until December 2020 to address the situation.
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As the Bangladesh Army took immediate action following these instructions, it is possible to start the regular rotation again by overcoming the ongoing limitations.
On Wednesday, the first rotation flight of the mission, Ethiopian Airlines' Boeing 767-300 ER, with 29 officers of three contingents of the Bangladesh Army, 10 JCOs and the first team of 131 peacekeepers of 92 other ranks left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Mali.
Later, 422 peacekeepers will travel on two more flights on July 14 and 18. In the first two weeks of August, 650 peacekeepers will travel on three more flights.
Also, a total of 1180 peacekeepers – 553 on 10th, 15th and 18th of July, and 627 on three flights in the first two weeks of August – will return to Bangladesh after completing 1 year and 3 months of peacekeeping operations in Mali.
