180 police peacekeepers leave for UN mission in DR Congo

A contingent of 180 Bangladeshi police personnel, including 70 female members, left Dhaka yesterday to join the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The contingent, led by Superintendent of Police Jannat Afroz, flew to the Central African country on a chartered plane, said a press release issued by the police headquarters.

The mission, called the United Nations Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), aims to help establish peace in the troubled nation.

The Bangladeshi police unit departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 12:45pm for Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo.

Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) to the Police Headquarters Khandkar Rafiqul Islam, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rezaul Karim, and other concerned officers were present at the airport to see them off.

Bangladesh police contingents have been serving in Congo since 2005, with female contingents deployed since 2011.