A contingent of 160 police officers under the Rwanda Formed Police Unit, yesterday, returned home after accomplishing their one-year tour of duty under the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

The contingent, headed by Commissioner of Police Joseph Mugisha as its commander, touched down at Kigali International Airport at about 2pm.

Cyprien Gatete, commissioner for operations and public order, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police, received the peacekeepers.

Gatete welcomed the peacekeepers home and thanked them for their "outstanding performance” selflessly representing their country as required.

"You are welcome back home to rejoin your mother institution to continue the journey of policing and also applying the knowledge and skills attained from the mission in further ensuring a safer Rwanda,” Gatete said.

RWAFPU6 replaced by RWAFPU7, which left Friday, leaves a legacy of strong cooperation with the people through the introduced homegrown resolutions of community policing and community work – Umuganda – which has defined all the past five batches that served in Haiti since 2010.

Through Umuganda, they worked together with the locals every last Saturday of the month to support community development activities like rehabilitation of roads and water trenches, schools and supporting the vulnerable including orphans.

Mugisha said through human security activities, they connected with the people.

"Human security has become part and parcel of Rwandan peacekeepers and as such, we taught the people how to survive by supporting themselves when they put ideas and work together and this helped us connect and work well with them,” said Mugisha.

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