The first batch of 120 police peacekeepers returned home from South Sudan yesterday as Rwanda National Police (RNP) started to rotate its Formed Police Unit One (RWAFPU1) contingent of 240 officers, which has since completed their one year mandate.

They were received at Kigali International Airport by Commissioner of Police (CP) Felix Namuhoranye, the Commandant of the National Police College (NPC), who was flanked by other senior police officers.

They arrived home few hours after RNP also flagged off another group of 120 officers, who constitute RWAFPU2 contingent of other 240 officers under the command of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Eric Mutsinzi, who will replace RWAFPU1 under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Their camp is located in Malakai, Upper Nile.

The FPU specialises in public order management like crowd control; facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance, escort duties and protection of UN facilities.

The returning peacekeepers were in August decorated with medals of service excellence, particularly for their peacekeeping role in Malakai region.

CP Namuhoranye lauded them for their discipline, teamwork and professionalism, which guided them in their successful tour of duty.

"This is an annual rotational programme conducted in all mission areas where Rwandan police officers are deployed. The rotation will be conducted in two shifts, with equal number of 120 other police officers set to arrive home while others will be deployed, early next week,” Police Spokesperson, ACP Theos Badege said.

"These deployments in all missions are based on Rwanda’s foreign policy and commitment to bring about peace in other countries,” he added.

The annual rotations and additional peacekeepers, he noted, demonstrate Rwanda’s commitment to global peace-building.

Currently, RNP maintains about 1000 police peacekeepers in five UN missions, with at least 30 percent of them females.