Army deceived after falling into Turk’s trap over peace mission promise; 1,313 members returning home

Special Correspondent

The withdrawal of 1,313 Bangladesh Army personnel from UN peacekeeping missions is not just a numbers game, it has become a symbol of a major ‘deception’ for army officials. These soldiers, who were brought back from various missions in September-October last year—the largest number of whom were from South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO)—are now joining the domestic security system.

But there is only one question on their minds: Why this return, despite the veiled threat of UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk in August 2024, after everything was in accordance with the meticulous plan? Has the UN ‘fooled’ the Bangladesh Army?

Bangladesh’s contribution to UN peacekeeping operations is recognized worldwide—178,743 troops have been deployed since 1988, of whom 146 have died. At the beginning of 2024, Bangladesh was the world’s fourth-largest peacekeeping contributor. But the UN’s position changed after the July-August anti-government riots and the overthrow of the government.

On August 3, 2024, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk explicitly warned the military that Bangladesh would be expelled from the peacekeeping mission if it did not support the movement to overthrow the government or engaged in violence. Turk’s statement was called by many as a ‘veiled threat’, which was like questioning the neutrality of the military.

The army accepted that ‘threat’ – instead of suppressing the rioters during the movement, they took a stand on their side. Which helped to overthrow the elected government. In March 2025, Turk himself admitted that the role of the army had been instrumental in the ‘success of the anti-government movement’.

But even after this, 1,313 troops were brought back citing funding crisis and ‘internal decisions’. This brought down the total number of Bangladeshi peacekeepers from 6,924 to 5,611, and dropped from fourth to fifth or sixth in the world ranking.

The withdrawal has sparked deep resentment among the army. A major-ranking officer returning from a mission, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We have maintained the stability of the country by complying with the UN threat. We risked our lives every day in Congo, but when we return, we see that everything was ‘conditional’. It is a deception—as if we were forced back as a reward for our loyalty.”

Military sources say many soldiers feel that the UN Human Rights Commission’s ‘intervention’ was not just temporary, but an attack on Bangladesh’s sovereignty. At an internal meeting, returning soldiers raised the question: “What if we had sided with the government instead of threatening it? Does the UN see our contribution as just a profit?”

Army officials believe that, while the UN’s internal politics and lack of funds are behind this return, it is an injustice to the Bangladesh Army.

“We fought for world peace, but we got nothing but deceit from the UN as ‘cooperation’ for the stability of our own country,” said a retired general. “The soldiers are now returning to their domestic duties and becoming stronger, but the resentment will not be left in their hearts.”

Experts say the incident could affect Bangladesh’s diplomatic relations. The government is now trying to rejoin the mission through talks with the UN, but the discontent among the soldiers could have long-term effects. Will this UN ‘blow’ damage Bangladesh’s peacekeeping tradition, or will it create a new force? Only time will tell.