Abdul Hafiz (born 6 November 1957) is a retired

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

of the

Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army is the land warfare branch and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to provide necessary forces and capabilities to deliver the Bangladeshi government's security and defe ...

. He was Chief of General Staff, Bangladesh Army. He served as the Force Commander in UN peacekeeping mission in

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...

and Côte d'Ivoire.

Personal life and education

He was born on 6 November 1957. Hafiz is the father of two daughters. He completed his master's degree in defense studies from

Bangladesh National University The National University of Bangladesh ( bn, জাতীয় বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, বাংলাদেশ ) is a public university of Bangladesh that was established by an Act of Parliament as an affiliating University ...

. He completed a course on small and heavy arms of infantry in China and Advanced Infantry Officer's course in the United States of America. He was also graduated from the Defense Intelligence College of France. He can speak in English and French.

Career

In Bangladesh Army

Abdul Hafiz joined the infantry corps as an officer on 8 May 1977. In 2005, he became

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

of the Bangladesh Army. He retired from Bangladesh Army shortly after being promoted to

. He became commander of an infantry brigade in 1999. He was commandant of the

Bangladesh Military Academy Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) is the officers training institute for the officer cadets of Bangladesh Army. It is located in Bhatiary, near Chittagong Hill Tracts, in the Chittagong District of south-east Bangladesh, about 13 kilometres ...

from 2001 to 2003. He also commanded 33rd Infantry Division in Comilla from 2005 to 2008. Then he served as the Director-General of '' Ansar and VDP'', a paramilitary organization from 2008 to 2009. He served as the Chief of General Staff in Bangladesh Army.

In UN peacekeeping

General Hafiz was military liaison officer of UNIKOM in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

from 1991 to 1992. He participated a seminar on the Operations of Peacekeeping Nations held at the Staff College, Camberley in October 1994. In 2006, he attended the 11th Committee on Defense Forum held in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

UN mission in Côte d'Ivoire

Hafiz was the chief military liaison officer of

United Nations Mission in Côte d'Ivoire The United Nations Mission in Côte d'Ivoire (french: link=no, Mission des Nations unies en Côte d'Ivoire, MINUCI) was a peacekeeping mission whose objective was to facilitate the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, as well as es ...

(MINUCI) from 2003 to 2004. After then, he served as the Deputy Force Commander of United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) from 2004 to 2005. In his second mission in Côte d'Ivoire, he has appointed as Force Commander of UNOCI in 2010. He resigned from the post on 22 March 2011 after being accused of releasing secret information to a documentary director. The documentary highlights French interest in its African territory and its war. In his resignation speech, Hafiz said,

UN mission in Western Sahara

After Côte d'Ivoire mission, again General Hafiz was appointed as the Force Commander of the

United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( ar, بعثة الأمم المتحدة لتنظيم استفتاء في الصحراء الغربية; french: Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au ...

on 23 July 2011. Ban Ki-Moon stated in appointing him, He was highly appreciated on his tour of MINURSO. On the end of the tour, the official statement was, “The Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is grateful to Major General Hafiz for his exemplary service and contribution to the work of MINURSO since July 2011.”

Award

Abdul Hafiz received many awards in his distinguished career. He was awarded the

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration awarded by the United Nations (UN) to the various world countries members for participation in joint international military and police operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, an ...

for his service in MINURSO.

References

External links

Interview of Abdul Hafiz
''

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

'', 30 July 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hafiz, Abdul 1957 births Living people Bangladesh Army generals United Nations military personnel National University, Bangladesh alumni Bangladeshi generals Rajshahi Cadet College alumni