Int’l Day of UN Peacekeepers: Of service and sacrifice

The mighty desert sun beats down mercilessly on the sand; the thermometer reads 50 degree Celsius; humidity stands at only five percent -- that's the unforgiving Saharan climate for you. That's the West African country of Mali for you.

On our day of correspondence, a massive convoy is moving forward slowly, piercing the desert sand and its near absolute lifelessness. In the front row, a Bangladeshi soldier sits -- wearing a helmet, a pair of sunglasses, and on top of everything a 20kg bulletproof vest, standing waist-deep inside a state-of-the-art armored car in all that heat.

On one hand, he is holding a walkie-talkie; on the other a tight grip holds on to the hook of the armored personnel carrier (APC).

The desert is truly deserted, with barely any sign of life anywhere around. Neither human beings, nor trees, life is only found in the soldiers of the convoy. They're all geared with modern weaponry, but it doesn't make them feel the least bit safe.

"You cannot take your eyes off the road for even a second," said Maj Shafin, the Bangladesh army officer who was being described above. Maj Shafin is one of the 6,543 peacekeepers from Bangladesh currently on UN peacekeeping duties.

Every time something suspicious catches his attention, Shafin utters "stop" on to his walkie-talkie, and everything behind him freezes. The convoy is immensely cautious and absolutely petrified by the prospect of stepping on to hidden landmines or being hit by a rocket launcher or some other types of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

This is especially important for the peacekeepers posted in Mali. The desert nation is sometimes called the world's capital of IEDs. Tribal feuds, which have always been common, have taken a turn for the worse in recent years, after several international Islamist groups turned Mali into their strongholds. All these partisans have planted IEDs across the country with the hopes of ravaging oppositions.

The road communication network in Mali is nothing like that in Bangladesh. In fact, there is no roads in the proper sense of the word, let alone highways. Whatever roads there are, giant potholes everywhere make them extremely bumpy. Clearly, with such daunting obstacles on the road, it's impossible to muster any speed.

In August, a 740km journey on wheels to a remote conflict-prone region took the group 17 whole days. For the entirety of these journeys, members of the convoy have to be on their toes.

"The driver of the APC is totally dependent on me. My eyes are his eyes. The challenge is, every time I utter "stop", he literally has less than a second to react and step on the brake paddle. Even a small communication gap may lead to disaster," Shafin said to this reporter recently at the Gao Super Camp in Mali.

"It's a huge pressure on your nerves. Everyone's lives and deaths depend on your eyes. One mistake and everyone could be dead in seconds," Maj Shafin continued.

"Whenever I go on an operation, I can't stop thinking about my child, my wife, my parents. They also worry about me all the time. This is a war zone we are talking about. But that's the life of a solider and we chose it for us. Duty is above everything," he said.

On top of this, peacekeepers hardly have any time for leisure. Whenever they do get some, they have to spend the most of it inside camps because of security concerns.

All these take a toll on the mental health of the peacekeepers. Even when burnt out by all the pressure, they can't connect to their families anytime, anywhere. In Mali, mobile connectivity is almost zero outside cities -- connecting with families is not always an option. This is why many peacekeepers suffer from anxiety and stress-related disorders.

"Stress is a major health concern here in the UN compounds in Mali. We try to keep the soldiers cheerful by arranging indoor and outdoor games," said Dr Lt col Amirul Hasan.

"During the Oryx-2 operation a couple of months ago, I was disconnected with my family for many days. Back home in Bangladesh, they thought something bad had happened to me. Their Eid was totally ruined," Shafin reminisced sorrowfully.

Everything a parent would not want their child to be around can be found in Mali, aplenty. Scarcity of water, security threat, no connectivity, extreme weather, and so on. "But we forget all our hardships every time we succeed in bringing peace to a conflict-prone area. The pleasant nature and the lovely hospitality of the local people act as fuel for us," Maj Shafin said. "This is what gives meaning to our work."

INT'L DAY OF UN PEACEKEEPERS

Today is the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed to pay tribute to the uniformed and civilian personnel's invaluable contribution and to honour more than 3,900 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 102 last year.

This year, the challenges and threats faced by the peacekeepers are even greater than ever, as they, like people around the world, are not only having to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic, but also support and protect the people in the countries they are based in. They are continuing their operations to the best of their abilities and supporting the governments and the local populations, despite the risk of Covid-19, according to the UN.

The theme for this year's day is "Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to Peace" to help mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.