180-member female police unit leaves for Congo to join MONUSCO

Some 180 members of Female Formed Police Unit (FPU) of Bangladesh Police have left for Congo to join the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

The unit left for Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, on a chartered flight of Ethiopian Airlines from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday night, said a press release of the police headquarters on Sunday evening.

Members of BANFPU-1 (Rotation-16), MONUSCO, DRC headed by Superintendent of Police (SP) Marufa Yasmin will replace BANFPU-1 (Rotation-15), MONUSCO, DRC. The formed police unit has 14 commanding staff including Deputy Commander Mohammad Shafiul Islam.

Police Headquarters DIG (Operations) Md Hyder Ali Khan and members of the Police Headquarters Overseas and UN Operations Section saw off the peacekeepers bound for DR Congo at the airport.

Note that Bangladesh Police FPU unit was sent to the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in DR Congo for the first time in 2005.

Bangladesh Police has been sending Female FPU to Democratic Republic of Congo since 2011. Since 2019, the Bangladesh Police’s officers have been serving the mission as Individual Police Officer (IPO) with reputation.