The Rwanda National Police (RNP) and the United Nations Police (UNPOL) discussed further partnership in peace operations.
This was discussed on Tuesday, April 2, when the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Felix Namuhoranye, received the United Nations Police Advisor, Police Commissioner Faisal Shahkar, at the RNP General Headquarters in Kacyiru.
The Rwanda National Police stated that Police Commissioner Shahkar and his delegation, including the Chief of Recruitment and Selection, Ata Yenigun, and the Chief of Staff for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Murat Isik, are in Rwanda to discuss further partnership in peace operations.
During the meeting, IGP Namuhoranye thanked Police Commissioner Shahkar for visiting Rwanda to exchange ideas and share experiences on peace support operations.
“Rwanda’s participation in peace operations is a commitment born out of the international community’s failure to intervene and save the lives of innocent civilians during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda 30 years ago,” IGP Namuhoranye said.
He added that Rwanda remains committed to contributing towards the protection of civilians in danger wherever and whenever required, either under the UN flag or on bilateral arrangements like in the Cabo Delgado region in Mozambique, where Rwandan security forces are engaged in counter-terrorism operations.
“Rwanda National Police has invested in training, personnel management, acquisition of policing equipment, and developed operational capabilities necessary to fulfill our mission mandates in line with UN standards and procedures,” the Police Chief said.
He added: “A well-trained and equipped force is always ready to be committed for deployment in a very short time on request.”
Police Commissioner Shahkar lauded Rwanda’s transformation process to rise out of the ashes of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He further thanked Rwanda for its contribution to international peace, particularly for embracing the global call to deploy women to international peace duties.
Rwanda maintains a female-dominated Formed Police Unit (FPU) contingent under the UN Mission in South Sudan.
“Globally, national Police institutions have challenges and are always difficult to spare good and professional officers for international duties abroad. Rwanda’s participation shows how committed it is to dedicate its few resources to international peace,” said the UN Police Chief.
He pointed out that the environment in UN missions is becoming extremely challenging in terms of safety and security, which should be kept in mind especially during pre-employment training.
Commissioner Shahkar further said that as policing becomes more hi-tech, the UN is also shifting its focus to the use of technology as well as welcoming specialized units to deal with the evolving mission challenges.
Rwanda, which started its peacekeeping operations in 2005, is currently the leading Police contributor to UN peace operations with a total strength of 1133 peacekeepers and the leading contributor of female Police peacekeepers.
The Police peacekeepers are deployed in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Abyei, Haiti, as well as professional posts in the CAR (Head of Police component) and New York.