Nerves of Steel

As children, some of them learned to take “rapid action” in emergencies like cyclones and flash floods. No wonder they are now on duty in a faraway country that often requires such rapid action.

These brave men with nerves of steel from the Bangladesh Rapidly Deployable Battalion (BANRDB) have actually pacified a clash triggered by tribal rivalry in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that started in December 2017.

It was a provocative incident which could lead to the third Congolese war in less than 20 years triggered by armed rival ethnic groups -- Lendu and Hema -- in the Djugu territory under Ituri province that eventually spread to other parts of DRC. BANRDB has been playing a crucial role in maintaining peace for the last few months.

At least 100 people had been killed, thousands of houses torched, and over 100,000 people displaced in just a few weeks last December; around 42,000 of these people fled to neighbouring Uganda as refugees. It triggered once again on February 4; Bangladeshi peacekeepers instantly intervened and managed to contain the conflict.

“Hema-Lendu conflict is a decades-old problem. This time around, the situation was worsening fast but fast intervention by Bangladeshi soldiers brought us relief,” Pacifique Keta Upar, vice governor of Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in Congo, told The Daily Star.

The BANRDB is a specially-trained and equipped force of the Bangladesh Army whose members have been in DRC as part of a UN peacekeeping mission's strategy of “protection through projection”. They have been trained to respond to any critical situation by launching full-fledged military operation in the shortest of notices.

They arrived in Bunia for the first time in February and had to launch their first rapid operation just a few hours later to contain the Hema-Lendu conflict that broke out on February 4, subsequently rescuing a group of Uruguayan UN peacekeepers who were stranded in a remote village in the middle of the conflict zone.

“It was an 18-hour operation. The village was very remote and the journey was very hectic. The stranded peacekeepers were completely disconnected from the world,” said Ihteshamus Samad Chowdhury, brigade commander of Northern Sector, MONUSCO.

The Bangladeshi soldiers not only rescued their fellow peacekeepers, but also pacified the conflicting groups in the region. However, peace in this region is very fragile and the Congolese people live in constant fear that is rooted in the history of the country.

Apart from the Hema and Lendu tribes, there are as many as 250 armed ethnic groups in DRC, which is 26 times bigger than Bangladesh.

Many remember all too well the violent conflict that ravaged Ituri between 1999 and 2003, killing 55,000 and resulting in trials by the International Criminal Court. That spate of violence also began in the Djugu territory.

Thankfully, most of the displaced people have now returned home as the Bangladeshi soldiers have brought the situation under control.

The BANRDB team has been deployed in DRC to ensure protection for civilians in the African country that has reserves of valuable minerals such as uranium, diamond, gold and cobalt, although 63 percent of the 81 million population continue to live in poverty.

Two groups of Bangladeshi journalists are visiting some of these African countries in the second and third week of May as part of commemorating 30 years of Bangladeshi troopers on UN peace missions.

This correspondent has visited the operation area in Djugu territory. From Ndromo of Bunia to Djugu, the approximately 100km journey was very difficult.

At the operation site, all the officers and troops are staying in tents on a remote top of a mountain. The concentration of mosquitos is very high and water is scarce. The location is vulnerable to attack.

It is so remote that helicopters are the only way to rescue if any emergency situation arises and anyone falls ill. Even a helicopter cannot land due to inclement weather and lack of a helipad.

Convoy commander Capt Md Abdul Mubin Chowdhury said, “The first challenge is the hostile territory, and second is rough terrain; militia groups are fierce and violent, and environmental challenge is a big problem there.”

He also said, “If we were surrounded by rebels, it is tough to come out...anything can happen. No water, no communication -- the challenges are easy to understand.”

Yet ignoring all these odds, Bangladeshi peacekeepers are working to establish peace in the country and have earned a good reputation across the world for their bold role.

The credit for the goodwill goes to the Bangladeshi army personnel who have been working for decades as UN peacekeepers in some of the more restive parts of the continent.