{The Police Commissioner for the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Serge Therriault, has welcomed the sixth contingent of Rwandan Police peacekeepers (RWA FPU) ahead of their operations in the Caribbean nation.}
Thierriault officially met the contingent on July 23 – and during his visit – he commended the government of Rwanda for its commitment to international peace through the deployment of peacekeepers to UN missions.
He was accompanied by Fiona Drennan from UN’s Mission Management and Support Section, and the function was held at RWA FPU Headquarters in Jeremie Town located in the province of Grande Anse.
“There is no doubt over the skills and capacity that RWA FPU has to carry on their duties smoothly and to promote peace and sustainable development in Haiti. The residents of Haiti have been very appreciative due to the professionalism and efficiency expressed by Rwandan police peacekeepers – and this trust should continue,” he said.
“As a new contingent, you should prolong the homegrown initiatives that the previous contingents exported to the Haiti residents. These initiatives have been very helpful in uplifting the lives of ordinary people and protecting their environment.”
The major purpose of Thierriault’s visit was to express UN support to RWA FPU ahead of elections of members of Parliament due next month, when RWA FPU will be expected to participate in crowd control and maintaining peace in designated voting grounds.
The contingent is also mandated with safely guarding elections ground, and offering protection to UN personnel and local civilians.
The RWA FPU Contingent, Commander Commissioner of Police (CP) Joseph Mugisha, briefed Thierriault about the contingent’s activities and also urged the officers to serve professionally with patriotism, commitment and selflessness.
The sixth RWA FPU under MINUSTAH consists of 160 police officers, including 22 female officers deployed early this month on July 7.
Some of the crucial work that the RNP peacekeepers have done in their mission time include; provision of security in Grande Anse Region, public order management, protection of delegates and provision of emergency services to the local population.
RNP contingents in Haiti are also fond of conducting community works, such as rehabilitating roads, supporting orphans and responding to disasters like floods, which has built a strong relationship between them and the Haitians.
RNP has been deploying peacekeepers to Haiti since a catastrophic earthquake in 2010 that killed over 100,000 people and affected over three million.
Leave a Reply