Rwanda National Police

Rwanda National Police has been hailed as one of exemplary Performers in maintaining peace, law and order in countries that are facing insecurity and violence.

With a background of violence that culminated into the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda has emerged from the ashes to become a very valued contributor of police officers in AU/United Nations Peacekeeping missions all over the world.

In order to fully understand the dynamics involved in peacekeeping, our media team sat down with the Commissioner for Peace Support Operations, ACP Jimmy Hodari, who perused  through RNP’s tremendous journey in this area.

Qn: When did RNP begin peacekeeping operations and what has been their value to the world?

ACP Hodari: Rwanda National Police (RNP) deployed its first peacekeepers to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) in 2004. They were 49 officers in total.

Since then, we have emerged as one of the largest and most effective peacekeepers in the world, contributing 620 officers in eight different missions currently.

Rwanda Formed  Police Units (FPU) are deployed in Haiti, Mali and Central African Republic. Our Individual Police Officers (IPOs) are deployed in Darfur, South Sudan, in Abyei (A disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan that is under UN protection), Ivory Coast and Liberia. But we also have IPOs in missions where we have FPUs.

We also have police officers at the UN Headquarters, which can as well operate as Rwanda’s ninth mission.

Qn: Why did RNP choose to begin peacekeeping operations? What triggered its intervention?

ACP Hodari: Rwanda’s commitment to contributing to the maintenance of international peace and security is based on the firm belief that the international community has a responsibility to prevent conflict and to act when confronted with challenges to peace and security.

This principle is influenced by the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and the failure of the international community to intervene.

We in Rwanda have experienced the most gruesome violation of human rights in the past – and instead of getting international help, peacekeepers were recalled to leave Rwanda.

We don’t want what happened here in 1994 to happen anywhere else and that is why we are committed to our principle of rapidly responding whenever we are called to participate in peacekeeping operations.

Qn: Have RNP’s peacekeeping missions been as successful as planned?

ACP Hodari: Our contribution to peacekeeping missions has led to the creation of peace in our mission areas, whereby, our officers have been well noted for their professionalism and openness to helping residents.

This contribution led to several nominations of Rwandans to senior posts in missions, which indicate the level of trust that we have been able to build ever since we chose to participate in maintaining international peace.

Qn: Can you chart for us how the PSO unit has grown since its creation? How has it managed to grow to its current status?

ACP Hodari: Insecurity in various parts of the world calls for a Peace Support model which allows a peacekeeping mission to fill a void and adapt to the demands required for the establishment of peace in those parts.

Our peacekeepers therefore have a responsibility to respond robustly to threats to their mandate as well as by engaging the communities in campaigns that promote peace and safety.

Our peace support missions have grown in accordance to the demands of international peace and our capabilities.

We have been successful in undertaking a range of policing tasks, including the maintenance of public order, policing, mentoring of local police forces, infrastructure reconstruction and national reconciliation.

Qn: What is the method used to choose Police officers to be involved in the peace support operations?

ACP Hodari: While selecting officers for peacekeeping missions, we use guidelines set by the United Nations. These guidelines contain general information about the administrative aspects of the selection, deployment, rotation, transfer and repatriation of peacekeepers on assignment.

These guidelines enable us to make necessary arrangements prior to departure of officers and also serve as a guide during missions.

We ensure that the selected officers are trained in necessary skills and knowledge that they will need during their stay in missions.

Qn: Do you consider gender as one of the criteria to follow while selecting peacekeeping officers?

ACP Hodari: Definitely! RNP as an institution has a number of ways to ensure that gender issues are at the core of our work, not only in peace support operations but also in the operations of the institution as a whole.

RNP has fostered an ideal gender-promotion environment that has enabled women to have a platform on which they can exercise their rights and freely contribute to the security and development of the country.

We are currently among the leading contributors of female police officers in peacekeeping missions, and among the few countries that have elaborated the UN Security Council resolution 1325 action plan which urges all actors to increase the participation of women in conflict resolution.

Qn: lastly, what has been the role of female police officers in addressing gender related issues during their time in missions?

ACP Hodari: Rwandan female officers, just like their male counterparts, have offered invaluable services during their stay in peacekeeping missions. They have been well-known for promoting gender equality in their mission areas, and also training local populations in life skills.

Specifically, A Rwandan peacekeepers, SGT.  Felicite Mujawamariya, was awarded with a medal of excellence by the UN for her outstanding performance in reform and restructuring as the UN Team Site Commander in Darfur, while another, CIP Antoinette Umuraza, was in 2014 appointed the chairperson of the United Nations Police (UNPOL) Women Network under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (Minusca).

These are just few examples that indicate the kind of work they are offering to those areas; and we are optimistic that the contribution of Rwandan female peacekeepers will grow more in the future.