Bangladesh - kind acts in an often unkind world

When there is talk of a UN Mission to somewhere hostile, there is often a debate in Europe about carrying our fair share of the burden. Often, that consists of rather hoping that someone else will do it. And yet, Bangladesh has a well-earned reputation for punching above its weight in terms of peacekeeping.

Indeed, Bangladeshi troops have been active in;

• the Western Sahara (MINURSO)
• the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC)
• Liberia (UNMIL)
• the Ivory Coast (UNOCI)
• Sudan (UNMIS)
• Darfur (UNAMID)
• the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT)
• East Timor (UNMIT)

In addition, there are Bangladeshi police personnel in;

• Haiti (MINUSTAH)

By any standards, that isn't bad. And perhaps, when the British public complain about sending troops to Afghanistan and elsewhere, they might like to contrast the resources we dedicate to keeping them safe, well-fed and well-armed, with those available to Bangladeshi troops in some of the grimmer corners of the so-called 'Dark Continent'...