El Fasher, 22 May 2009 – Nearly 500 Bangladeshi soldiers and police officers are arriving in Darfur this week, part of a fresh infusion of peacekeepers to the ranks of the joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

Some 245 Bangladeshi peacekeepers arrived yesterday in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, and a second batch of 245 is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

The new arrivals consist of 175 members of a sector reserve force, a 35-member platoon that will assist in the movement of Mission staff and cargo, and two formed police units (FPUs), each comprising 140 officers. FPUs are composed of police officers who have received specialized training in high-risk operations.

The sector reserve force and the platoon handling the movement of staff and cargo will both be deployed by UNAMID Military in Nyala, while the FPUs will be stationed in El Geneina in West Darfur and Shangil Tobaya in North Darfur respectively.

Bangladesh already contributes 348 peacekeepers to UNAMID as part of a multi-role logistics unit, nearly 40 military observers, liaison officers and staff officers, 77 police advisers and a separate FPU, which is based in Nyala.

UNAMID’s Force Commander, General Martin Luther Agwai, said today that the arrival of the additional Bangladeshi peacekeepers would help strengthen the work of the Mission.

“These new troops will play an important role in our efforts to ensure the safety of the civilian population in Darfur and to promote peace and security across the region,” Gen. Agwai said. “We urge more countries to contribute personnel to the Mission in the future.”

Today, 52 Filipino police advisers also arrived at UNAMID headquarters in El Fasher for induction training ahead of their planned deployment within the region. Earlier this week 39 Nigerian police advisers joined the Mission, while more than 60 police from Sierra Leone are expected to arrive next week.

With the scheduled arrival of the second batch of Bangladeshi peacekeepers tomorrow, UNAMID will have 13,454 military personnel (69 per cent of its mandated strength), 1,855 police advisers (49 per cent) and 978 FPU members (37 per cent) as it works towards achieving full deployment so that it can fulfil its mandate.