Don't nominate RAB, DGFI, DB personnel for UN peacekeeping mission: UN

The United Nations has recommended that military or police personnel linked to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the intelligence wing of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, or Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) battalion, who were involved in human rights violations in 2024, will be ineligible for nomination to United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.

This information was included in a report released by the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Wednesday (February 12).

“Disband the Rapid Action Battalion and return personnel not involved in serious violations to their home units,” read the report of the OHCHR or the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued the report detailing human rights violations during the mass uprising in Bangladesh in July-August 2024. The report includes various recommendations for the Bangladeshi government.

Among these recommendations, the OHCHR urged the government to establish an independent human rights screening system to ensure no Bangladeshi personnel deployed on UN or international missions are involved in human rights violations, humanitarian law breaches, or sexual abuse.

The report also called for the removal of commissioned officers from the police, intelligence, BGB, Ansar VDP, and armed forces who are involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption, following a thorough and impartial review that includes international and civil society perspectives.

The High Commissioner further announced that an ordinance should be passed to restrict the deployment of armed forces for internal security duties to limited periods under special circumstances. The appointment of such personnel should be transparent, subject to approval by law enforcement authorities and the public.