Police send nine to South Sudan

INSPECTOR General Sebastian Ndeitunga yesterday bade farewell to nine police officers who joined the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

Ndeitunga said the contingent, which left yesterday under the command of chief inspector Jona Nairenge, would be tasked with general policing and maintaining of peace and security and the restoration of law and order in the troubled country.

Civil war has wracked the newest African country for most of the last three years, following its independence from Sudan in 2011. The conflict, which started in late 2013, is between forces loyal to South Sudan president Salva Kiir and those of former South Sudan vice president Riek Machar.

There have also been violent cattle-raids and tribal feuds between rival ethnic groups in Jonglei state, which has left thousands of people dead and about 100 000 displaced since independence.

Ndeitunga said the Namibian police contingent would form part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which is mainly mandated to provide support for peace efforts and to support longer-term state-building and economic development.

The peace keeping mission in South Sudan is also tasked with supporting the South Sudanese government in conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution and to protect civilians.

Although there have been several reports from African countries of UN peacekeepers being involved in illegal activities, such as sexual abuse and exploitation of locals, Ndeitunga said Namibian representatives have never been involved in such activities.

“That is why they have always been accorded appreciation on their hard work, discipline and professionalism,” he said.

“Up to now we have not received any negative report from the areas we served. They were all doing very well,” he said.

Ndeitunga also said the international operations division of the Namibian Police was preparing to send a 50-member contingent to the Sudanese region of Darfur and to support the United Nations interim security force in Abyei state in South Sudan.

“This is an indication that the Namibian Police will continue to honour their international obligations by committing to UN peacekeeping missions,” Ndeitunga said. The police has so far made 45 deployments to several peacekeeping missions across the world.