October 5, 2022
1 min read

Africa becoming graveyard for UN peacekeepers?

The Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the CAR were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive ordnance device on Monday evening…reports Arul Louis

In the latest attacks on UN peacekeepers, three Bangladeshis have died from a bomb attack in the Central African Republic (CAR), barely a week after a Pakistani was killed in Congo, according to a UN spokesperson.

The Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the CAR were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive ordnance device on Monday evening, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday.

Another Bangladeshi peacekeeper was injured and is in hospital, he added.

On Friday, a Pakistani peacekeeper was killed in Congo when a base in Minembwe, South Kivu, was attacked “by suspected Twirwaneho combatants,” he said.

Dujarric added that attacks on peacekeepers are “war crimes”.

The Bangladeshis were killed when they were on patrol, nearly five kilometre from the CAR peacekeeping mission’s temporary base in the Ouham-Pende Prefecture, he said.

According to the peacekeeping mission, the Bangladeshi battalion patrol was to protect civilians.

The CAR peacekeeping operation known as MINUSCA, from the French initials for Mulitdimensional Integrated Mission in CAR, was created in 2014, taking over an earlier operation set up in 2009.

It has 14,400 personnel with 1,333 Bangladeshi troops.

The operation has claimed the lives of 169 peacekeepers, 10 of them Bangladeshis.

In January three Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed in the CAR when their vehicle hit a landmine.

The Congo peacekeeping operation known as MONUSCO, an acronym derived from French for Organisation Stabilisation Mission in Congo, was created in 2010 to succeed an earlier mission set up in 1999.

It is the second largest peacekeeping operation with 14,671 personnel, which include 1,929 troops from Pakistan.

More than 431 peacekeepers have died in the operations in Congo, of them, 31 were Pakistanis.

In March, six Pakistani peacekeepers were killed when their helicopter was brought down in Congo.

A MONUSCO statement said that the Twirwaneho fighters had come to the UN base, saying they wanted to surrender but instead attacked it.

According to AfricaNews media, The Twirwaneho militia claims to defend the interests of the Banymulenge community, a Congolese Tutsi minority.

ALSO READ: South African President Ramaphosa to visit to Britain

Previous Story

Bangladesh in dark after national grid failure

Next Story

Latest shows and films to binge watch on OTT

Latest from -Top News

Trump Warns Musk: ‘Close Shop or Go Home’

Trump’s warning on his Truth Social platform late on Tuesday (US time) came amid the feud between him and Musk over the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’….reports Asian Lite News Former US President

India-US Trade Deal Likely This Week

The interim trade deal would be an initial step towards a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement between Indian and the US….reports Asian Lite News India is expected to finalise an interim trade

One Year Later, Hasina’s Son Raises Red Flag

Hasina’s abrupt exit last August after violent student protests was widely seen as a blow to democracy in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million….reports Asian Lite News Sajeeb Wazed, son of former

Global South Finds Its Campus in India

The question is no longer if India can attract global talent, but whether it can build the conditions to do so at scale—with care and vision. Done right, India could emerge as

Jaishankar Gets Real on India-US Ties

The EAM underlined the structural drivers of the bilateral relationship, saying, “The trend line over the last 25 years has actually been very strong….reports Asian Lite News External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
Go toTop

Don't Miss

India, Australia all set to seal free trade deal

The Australian government said that the deal will eliminate tariffs

SCCI holds Sharjah-India biz forum in Chennai

The event underscores the SCCI’s commitment to enhancing the presence