The United Nations has awarded Rwanda Police officers serving under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) with medals for their professional services.

A contingent of 30 Rwanda officers were awarded in a function held at their headquarters in the capital Juba on Wednesday.

The UNMISS Police Commissioner, Dr Fredric Yiga who presided over the awarding ceremony, commended them for their outstanding performance in restoring peace and stability in the world’s youngest nation.

"I thank you for your excellent performance in protecting civilians especially in the wake of the South Sudan crisis and for your relentless efforts to build the capacity of the South Sudan National Police Services,” Yiga said.

Rwandan Police officers train the local police force in various professional disciplines, including investigation, intelligence, Traffic Police, Information Technology and Method of instructions among others.

He also thanked the Rwandan government for its efforts in maintaining peace and stability in other countries.

Commissioner of Police Felix Namuhoranye, Rwanda-United Nations Police Chief Training Officer in UNAMISS said his country is committed to using its home-grown successful initiatives to bring about peace to the rest of the world and share best practices with other police forces.

 Rwanda maintains about 600 Police officers in eight missions. The missions are Darfur, Abyei, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Mali, Liberia, Guinea Bissau and South Sudan.