67 navy personnel to join UN peacekeeping in South Sudan

A total of 67 members of Bangladesh Navy left here today to join Bangladesh Navy's Force Marine Unit-9 in UN peacekeeping mission, South Sudan.

The contingent has been entrusted with ensuring the safe movement of the UN's essential fuel, food, medicine and humanitarian aid barges; monitoring or controlling waterway piracy; gathering all intelligence information; informing the force headquarters, assisting local communities in firefighting; and rescuing wounded military and civilian personnel, according to a press release issued by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The contingent also provides emergency medical care to local people, essential supplies for transport to military and civilian members of the mission in remote areas, as well as assist in any UN-mandated activity.

For more than two decades, the Bangladesh Navy has been participating in and fulfilling its responsibilities in international peacekeeping operations with great success -- for establishing peace and protecting human rights in various war-torn regions of the world, added the press release.

In addition to South Sudan, the Bangladesh Navy has a warship deployed in Lebanon and the Mediterranean region as the only member of the United Nations Maritime Task Force.