{Twelve female Rwanda National Police (RNP) Individual Police Officers (IPOs), on Thursday left for year-long United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).}
The officers are joining another group of 22 IPOs currently deployed in Haiti.
Speaking during the pre-deployment briefing at the RNP headquarters in Kacyiru, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Emmanuel K. Gasana, challenged the officers to be focused on their mandate and professionalism.
“Uphold the Rwandan and RNP values; serve within the boundaries of your mission with maximum discipline and team work; you should ensure that your performance is outstandingly good,” IGP Gasana said.
He told the officers to consider the mission as a learning opportunity that could enrich RNP and the country.
“Exploit this opportunity to conduct researches, learn from other police officers and by the time you come back, you should be in position to implement a lot of what you have learnt,” said IGP Gasana.
The pre-deployment briefing was also attended by Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, (DIGP) Dan Munyuza who urged the officers to ensure they preserve Rwanda’s dignity.
“Your performance out there reflects the image of our country that’s why you need to perform your duties with dignity and discipline,” said DIGP Munyunza.
The IPOs will be serving along other Rwandan National Police peacekeepers in Haiti.
One of the officers, AIP Jacqueline Nyiransabimana, said that the team is committed to ensuring that they execute their assigned tasks effectively.
“We thank the leadership of Rwanda National Police for the training and the skills they have equipped us with; there is no doubt our performance will be exemplary,” she said.
Currently, RNP maintains six hundred peacekeepers in seven missions around the world, namely; Sudan, South Sudan, Ivory Coast, Central African Republic, Haiti and Abyei.
Rwanda is among the leading contributors of women police officers in international peacekeeping missions. It is also one of the few countries that have elaborated the UN Security Council Resolution 1,325 action plan.
The resolution urges all actors to increase the participation of women in conflict resolution, peacekeeping and incorporate gender perspectives in all UN peace and security efforts.
Last month, the Police Commissioner for MINUSTAH, Serge Therriault, commended Rwandan peacekeepers for their exemplary contribution to Haiti’s peace building process. He noted that the UN family considers Rwanda as a very strong ally in international peacekeeping.
Some of the work that the Rwandan peacekeepers have done in Haiti, include, provision of security in Grande Anse Region, public order management, protection of delegates and provision of emergency services to the local population.
They have also promoted Rwandan values such as Umuganda (community works), through which they led residents in rehabilitating roads, supporting orphans and responding to disasters like floods.
Rwanda has been deploying Police peacekeepers to Haiti since a catastrophic earthquake in 2010 that killed over 100,000 people, leaving millions homeless.
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