Since the conflict began three years ago, the city of Malakal has been destroyed and abandoned. Thousands of residents sought safety inthe United Nations Mission in South Sudan protection of civilians site.
With mixed communities from diverse ethnic backgrounds including the Dinka, Shilluk, Nuer, and other minor tribes, the POC has not remained immune to intertribal conflicts.
A Formed Police Unit, consisting of a total of 170 Rwandan police officers, has been dispatched to Malakal to help prevent any kind of disturbances inside the POC.
“We do a patrol day and night that is twenty four hour patrol and we also operate in terms of cordon and search operations where we search for dangerous items of things that can be used as weapons and we also try to fight the local brews, the local brews to intoxicate the youth mostly if not checked can cause criminality.” Rogers Rutkanga, Commanding Officer of the FPU in Malakal FPU
Community policing service groups have also been formed to help keep order in the camps with the support of the FPU.
“There are criminals that move at night and the Rwandan Police will come to our help by patrols throughout. They come to us and ask if there is a problem and we can tell them that there is no problem, they move overnight till morning and we also do move until morning and I thank them very much.” Daniel John,
Member Community Policing
The Rwandan FPU includes 37 female officers working together with the men in the protection of civilian site POC. After almost three years of traumatizing conflict, these communities are re-learning to live with one another as they hope to see peace prevail so that they can return to their homes
