Marizamunda visits peacekeepers in CAR

The Deputy Inspector of Police in charge of Administration and Personnel, Juvenal Marizamunda, on August 10, toured various Rwanda police units serving under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Friday, August 11, 2017
DIGP Marizamunda speaks at a past event. File

The Deputy Inspector of Police in charge of Administration and Personnel, Juvenal Marizamunda, on August 10, toured various Rwanda police units serving under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA). During his tour, he urged the Rwandan peacekeepers to stay focused and maintain their mission-readiness for effectiveness. The visit aimed at assessing areas where the Rwandan peacekeeping contingent can be reinforced to maintain maximum and professional execution of their mandate.Rwanda maintains about 450 police peacekeepers under MINUSCA, with 420 of them forming three contingents – two Formed Police Units and a Protection Support Unit (PSU) – each composed of 140 peacekeepers.Others are Individual Police Officers (IPOs), who work as mentors and advisors. While briefing the peacekeepers in their separate base camps, Marizamunda commended them for their commitment and sacrifice to ensure that Rwandan values of peace and stability are shared with the people of CAR and Africans in general. The DIGP also inspected contingent owned equipment of the FPU and PSU units.The Deputy IGP also paid a courtesy call on the MINUSCA deputy special representative of the UN Secretary-General, Najat Rochdi, who is also the Humanitarian Coordinator, and MINUSCA Police Commissioner Brig Gen Roland Zamora.  Both the coordinator and Police Commissioner commended the professionalism and discipline of the Rwandan police peacekeepers in assuring safety of the citizens.The FPU contingent deployed to protect internally displaced persons in Kaga-Bandoro, about 400km from the capital Bangui, were recently praised by the UN, in particular for putting their lives on the line to protect civilians when they were attacked by ex-Seleka rebels.editorial@newtimes.co.rw