Sudan tension worries UNAMID

The hostilities between South Sudan and the Khartoum government could affect peacekeeping operations in the region, UNAMID police chief James Oppong Boanuh said in Kigali yesterday.Boanuh, from Ghana, heads the police wing of the African Union-United Nations hybrid Operations in Darfur (UNAMID). He is in Kigali to meet his Rwandan counterpart Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana.He said although the renewed fighting between Juba and Khartoum had not affected their operations yet, there was no guarantee that “we will not be affected by the hostilities.”He spoke to journalists shortly after his meeting with Gasana.“Of course, in the mission, you are dealing with displaced persons; so, wherever tension or fighting erupts , you can be sure that you will be affected,” Boanuh, who was accompanied by UNAMID police chief of staff, Commissioner of Police Cyprien Gatete, said.Tension between South Sudan and Sudan turned violent after Juba seized the oil-rich border town of Heglig.Heglig is claimed by the north and has since been reoccupied by Sudanese forces, which have defied international calls for cessation of hostilities between the two states.South Sudan which gained independence from Sudan in July last year following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), has differed with the north over oil revenue sharing and the border.Recently, unidentified gunmen attacked a Togolese UNAMID unit as they returned to their base from patrolling an internally displaced camp in west Darfur. One officer was killed and four others wounded.The UN Security Council and AU criticised the act, calling on the Khartoum government to bring the offenders to justice.The UNAMID chief is in the country at the invitation of Gasana.The two held discussions on, among other issues, peace support operations.Rwanda has over 230 police officers out of the 7,000 serving under UNAMID in the war-torn Darfur, but Oppong said there is need for other officers, especially women.Rwanda has over 100 female officers in UNAMID, the highest single contingent in the world.“I must say that I am very impressed with the performance of these [Rwandan] officers,” said BoanuhHe praised the level of commitment, professionalism and dedication of the Rwandan police officers and commended the country’s commitment to bringing peace to the world. “It is very easy to get hardworking officers but it’s not easy to get hardworking officers who are also disciplined. I am happy to say that the police officers from Rwanda working with me in UNAMID are not only hardworking but also highly disciplined,” he said.Gasana noted that Rwanda has had its share of bad history, particularly the Genocide/ He said it was the country’s foreign policy to prevent such unfortunate events happening any where else in the world. “This can be done through sacrifice made in the context of international cooperation to bring peace to the world.”Rwanda has more than 500 police officers in various missions in Sudan, Haiti, Darfur, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone.Rwanda police also has standby capability for Formed Police Unit (FPU) and peacekeeping operations, said Gasana. The force has established a centre for Peace Support Operations (PSO) at Gishari police training school, for force preparations in Rwamagana, which the UNAMID chief is scheduled to visit.The country also maintains more than 3200 soldiers serving under UNAMID

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Sudan tension worries UNAMID