A Rwandan Formed Police Unit (RWAFPU2) serving under the UN Peacekeeping mission in Mali (Minusma), has initiated an IT course in a bid to enhance technological skills of the local security forces under 'e-policing', a prerequisite in modern policing terrain for effective response to emerging security challenges. The one-month training of 57 participants began on March 2 at the Rwandan contingent base located in the city of Gao, northern Mali. The training comes to strengthen the existing partnership the Rwandan peacekeepers have built with the local security forces. The official launch of the training was presided over by Bon Ould Sudy Mohamed, who represented the Governor of Gao, Francisco Ossler. Mohamed thanked the Rwandan peacekeepers for their exemplary and professional work, and for sharing their security expertise with the local security forces. "The training will be very beneficial to the maintenance of peace in the region,” he said, challenging participants to utilize it for the good of Malians. Rwanda FPU Contingent Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Jean Baptiste Seminega, said that through this course, Rwandan officers will extend their expertise to Malian officers, which they will utilize in ensuring peace and safety especially in Gao, the region that is engulfed with conflicts. "The region of Gao is challenged with security threats including terrorism, armed groups, criminality, social troubles and disasters. This training, therefore, is aimed at equipping local security forces with skills and knowledge on how to fight these threats by using modern ICT skills,” ACP Seminega said. "It is also an opportunity to exchange professional experiences especially intelligence sharing in line with prevention and response to all those IT-related security threats,” he added. He challenged trainees to extend the skills they will learn, to their colleagues in order to enforce peace and stability in Gao region. RNP maintains over 600 police officers in eight UN missions - 21 percent of them females -deployed in Haiti, Mali, Darfur, Abyei, South Sudan, Ivory Coast, CAR and Liberia.