A new rotation of Rwandan police officers, known as RWAPSU1-10 and led by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) James Karasi, departed from Kigali on Tuesday morning, heading to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, to begin their peacekeeping mission. They replaced the previous contingent, RWAPSU1-9, who returned to Rwanda later that evening after completing a year-long deployment under the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA).
Commissioner of Police (CP) Yahya Kamunuga, who heads the Police’s Peace Support Operations (PSO) unit, accompanied the new team to Kigali International Airport. He commended their dedication and discipline during the preparation process and officially welcomed the returning officers led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Ildephonse Rutagambwa.
The RWAPSU unit is tasked with the protection of high-level officials in both the Central African Republic government and the United Nations, including the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, the Speaker of Parliament, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) and their two deputies, as well as the Head of the UN Police (UNPOL).
CSP Rutagambwa also highlighted the community development initiatives carried out by his team during their mission. In addition to providing security for key leaders, they actively contributed to the well-being of local communities through various humanitarian efforts. These included community clean-up drives (Umuganda), voluntary blood donations, distribution of free medication to vulnerable residents, and provision of clean water for hygiene purposes.
In addition to the RWAPSU unit based in Bangui, Rwanda maintains three other police contingents in the Central African Republic. RWAFPU-1 also operates in Bangui, while RWAFPU-2 is stationed in Kaga Bandoro, over 300 kilometers from the capital, and RWAFPU-3 is deployed in Bangassou, located approximately 725 kilometers from Bangui.
0 Comments