South Sudan President, Salva Kiir has lauded the support rendered by Rwanda National Police (RNP) in building the capacity of the South Sudan National Police Services.
President Kiir said this on April 24 at the State House in Juba, where he hosted Rwanda’s Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana.
IGP Gasana was in South Sudan on a two-day visit on the invitation of his counterpart, Gen Pieng Deng Kuol, to further strengthen ties between the two forces following the signing of the cooperation agreement in May last year.
President Kiir pledged full support to the partnership for the good of communities in the two sister countries.
The agreement binds the two forces in combating cross-border crimes and capacity building, especially in training.
Training focuses mainly in road safety, basic and advanced investigation, basic intelligence, IT and communication skills, public order management, junior supervisory course and training of trainers.
Lt. Gen Salva Mathok, South Sudan Deputy Minister of Interior, also stressed that the cooperation is paramount in professionalizing their force, which is mainly composed of former soldiers and militia groups.
“Training is the backbone to police professionalism,” Lt. Gen Mathok stated.
South Sudan Police chief, Gen. Deng, said the cooperation between the two police forces has proved a note in building the capacity of his force.
More than 20 police officers from the South Sudan have so far attained various police course in Rwanda.
Rwanda National Police has also selected a team of 18 police officers to be stationed in South Sudan for one year to train their police force in investigation, intelligence, traffic management and Information Technology (IT) among others.
Gen. Deng said his force still face some challenges like lack of skilled personnel to deal with emerging threats.
He said Rwanda’s success story in areas of reconciliation, poverty eradication and peacekeeping is a good lesson that other countries and forces should emulate.
IGP Gasana, who observed that the two countries have had bad history, applauded the level of development in South Sudan and pledged the RNP support and exchange of best practices to build a professionalised force.
“It is time we work together to help each other in fighting emerging crimes that affect our two countries,” Gasana reiterated.
Development, IGP Gasana observed, comes with sophisticated security threats which require jointness to challenge wrong-doers.
“Confining ourselves to doing routine police work at home is good but we have to join forces with regional partners to improve the policing architecture. There are many emerging crimes that require us to join hands to pursue collective security in ideas, capacities, and skills in order to be ready for this challenging situation before us,” Gasana added.
He also said the RNP will organize a special training programme for police senior leadership.
Gasana, who was accompanied by Commissioner of Police (CP) Felix Namuhoranye and CP Steven Balinda, on the visit, also paid a courtesy call to the Deputy Police Commissioner of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Johannah Madikotsi Nkomo and met with the Rwandan police peacekeepers serving under UNMISS.
He told the peacekeepers not to tilt from their mission and urged them to learn from other peacekeeping forces so that they can spread such good skills to other police officers, when they return home.
He later visited the Dr. John Garang Memorial Training complex in Rajaf which houses the basic police school, Police College, and the Police Academy.
IGP Emmanuel K. Gasana and his South Sudan counterpat, Pieng Deng addressing journalists shortly after meeting President Salva
RNP
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