Janaza of peacekeepers martyred in Sudan held

Namaz-e-Janaza of six peacekeepers who were martyred in a barbaric terrorist drone attack on a United Nations peacekeeping mission base in the Abyei area of Sudan on December 13 last was held today at the Central Mosque of Dhaka Cantonment.

Home Adviser Lt Gen Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd), Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, senior military and civil officials, members of different ranks and media personnel attended the janaza, according to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.

Prior to the janaza, brief life sketches of the martyred peacekeepers were read out and their next of kin spoke.

Afterwards, Chief Community Liaison Officer of UNISFA Boris-Ephrem Tchoumavi, on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, addressed the gathering.

Following the Namaz-e-Janaza, state honours were accorded to the martyrs.

On the occasion, the Chief Adviser’s Military Secretary, on behalf of the Chief Adviser, placed wreaths to pay tribute to the martyred peacekeepers.

Later, the Chief Community Liaison Officer of UNISFA handed over the United Nations flag to the next of kin of the martyrs on behalf of the UN Secretary-General.

After the Janaza, separate condolence messages signed by the Chief Adviser were handed over to the families of the martyrs.

The Government of Bangladesh and senior officials of the United Nations earlier strongly condemned the heinous drone attack. 

Expressing deep concern, the Bangladesh Army sent a formal letter of protest to the UN Headquarters and urged the adoption of prompt drone countermeasures in all mission areas, including UNISFA.

In the terrorist drone attack, six peacekeepers were martyred and nine others were injured. 

Of the injured, eight are currently undergoing treatment at Aga Khan University Hospital (Level-3 Hospital) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. All of them are now out of danger.