Families mourn lives lost far from home
Deep grief has engulfed several villages across Bangladesh after six Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers were killed in a drone attack on a United Nations base in Sudan’s Abyei region on Saturday. The soldiers, who had left home only weeks earlier, died while serving in a UN peacekeeping mission, leaving families and communities struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the attack took place between 3.40 pm and 3.50 pm local time and was carried out by a separatist armed group while the peacekeepers were on duty. Eight other Bangladeshi peacekeepers were injured and are receiving medical treatment.
Last conversations, unfinished promises
For many families, the pain is sharpened by memories of final phone calls. Corporal Masud Rana (30) from Natore had spoken to his wife just hours before the attack, telling her he would call again after a short rest. That call never came.
His mother, Marjina Begum, recalled speaking to him a day earlier. “He told me there was no hardship now and asked me to stay well,” she said through tears. Masud had joined the Bangladesh Army in 2006 and left for Sudan on November 7.
Similar scenes of mourning were witnessed in Kishoreganj, Gaibandha, Rajbari and Kurigram, the home districts of the other victims.
Lives of service and sacrifice
The other five deceased were identified as Sainik Md Mominul Islam (38), Sainik Shamim Reza (28), Sainik Shanta Mondal (26), Mess Waiter Mohammad Jahangir Alam (30) and laundry employee Md Sabuj Mia (27).
In Kishoreganj’s Pakundia upazila, Jahangir Alam’s wife fainted repeatedly as relatives tried to console her, while their three-year-old child looked on. In Gaibandha, Sabuj Mia’s family said he was the sole earning member of the household. In Kurigram, Shanta Mondal’s wife is five months pregnant, awaiting her husband’s body.
Families across villages spoke of pride mixed with unbearable sorrow, describing their loved ones as dedicated soldiers who hoped their service would secure a better future for their families.
Bangladesh’s peacekeeping role
Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions. ISPR said that as of May, 5,818 Bangladeshi peacekeepers, including 444 women, are deployed across 10 UN missions. With the latest attack, the total number of Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed in the line of duty has risen to 174.
As families wait for the return of the bodies, calls have grown for swift repatriation and sustained support for the bereaved — a nation once again reminded of the human cost of peacekeeping far from home.