The UN Under Secretary General for Department of Peace Operations, Jean Pierre Lacroix has lauded the performance of Rwandan peacekeepers in peace support operations.

Lacroix particularly recognized the contribution and impact Rwandan female peacekeepers especially in addressing gender based violence related matters.

The Under-Secretary General made the remarks on Thursday when he received at his office, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Claver Gatete and the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Felix Namuhoranye.

DIGP Namuhoranye is in New York to attend the UN Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS-2022).

DIGP Namuhoranye reaffirmed Rwanda’s commitment to contribute peacekeeping personnel in "numbers and quality" in different aspects.

Bilateral meetings

Meanwhile, the Deputy Police Chief attended separate sideline bilateral meetings with delegations from Sweden and Zimbabwe, on Wednesday, August 31.

Commissioner Hakan Wall, Swedish Police director of International Operations Division and head of Peace Support Operations, hailed the cooperation between Sweden and Rwanda especially in peacekeeping operations.

Rwanda and Sweden formed a Specialized Police Team for Gender- Based Violence (SPT-GBV) operating under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

The bilateral meeting with Zimbabwe concluded with both parties devising ways to develop a framework for future cooperation in various policing areas.
Rwanda maintains three Police contingents in MINUSCA ; two Formed Police Units (FPUs) and a Protection Support Unit (PSU), with combined strengths of 460 officers.

Hakan commended the professionalism of Rwandan peacekeepers on the SPT-GBV team and expressed need for further cooperation.

DIGP Namuhoranye, who commended the existing partnership, briefed them on Rwanda’s will and ability to contribute "special skills" in peacekeeping to impact civilian lives beyond Central African Republic (CAR).

On the other hand, the bilateral meeting between Rwanda and Zimbabwe was co-chaired by Ambassador Gatete and Zimbabwe’s minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe.

It was held at the request of Zimbabwe to learn best practices from Rwanda’s policing model.

Rwanda gave a presentation on various areas of policing, including smart policing and peacekeeping operations.

The meeting concluded with both parties devising ways to develop a framework for future cooperation in various policing areas.

Rwanda National Police and Zimbabwe Republic Police have cooperated especially in training where the latter’s senior officers have attended the Police Senior Command and Staff Course (PSCSC) at the National Police College (NPC) in Musanze District.

AE News