DHAKA/NEW DELHI – Bangladesh has acknowledged that it forgot to remove United Nations (UN) markings from vehicles used during a curfew enforced by the army to contain widespread violence, which resulted in nearly 150 fatalities.
The UN has sought clarification from Bangladeshi authorities after footage taken by Reuters journalists on Sunday showed what appeared to be an armored personnel carrier marked with the letters “UN.” The vehicle, carrying armed soldiers, was patrolling a street in Dhaka, the epicenter of last week’s deadly clashes. The violence erupted as security forces cracked down on student-led protests against government job reservation quotas.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud explained to reporters on Wednesday that some vehicles had been previously rented to the UN peace mission. “We forgot to remove the logo. Now the logos have been removed,” he said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration had suspended internet services and called in the army to enforce a midnight curfew on Saturday to quell the unrest. The protests were ignited by a high court decision last month that reinstated 56% quotas in government jobs, reversing the government’s earlier decision to scrap them amidst an unemployment crisis.
The demonstrations ceased after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a government appeal on Sunday, effectively scrapping most of the quotas and stipulating that 93% of government jobs should be open to competition.
The use of force against the protesters drew criticism from the United Nations, international rights groups, and governments including the United States and Britain, which urged Dhaka to respect the right to peaceful protests.
“We have raised our concern about the situation in Bangladesh with relevant authorities in Dhaka and New York and also sought clarity regarding reports that some UN-marked vehicles may have been used during recent events,” Farhan Haq, a deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, told Reuters.
Haq emphasized that countries contributing troops and police to UN peacekeeping missions are required to use UN insignia and equipment marked with UN logos only while performing mandated tasks as UN peacekeepers. Bangladesh ranks as the third-largest troop and police contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, following Nepal and Rwanda.