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First Portuguese police officers join UNMISS

Portugal has just sent its first contingent of police officers to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

Eight United Nations police officers from Portugal, four women and four men, have recently joined the United Nations Mission in South Sudan for a one-year deployment. The new arrivals are the first Portuguese police officers to serve in the country.

“We are excited to be here to help to fulfil the mandate. We have a lot of expertise. We are from different backgrounds. We want to help the UN and people in South Sudan. We are excited, truly excited to be here,” says Graça Maria Branco Carvalho, the Commanding Officer of the group.

Equipped with that much-needed expertise, they are ready to work under challenging conditions to help bring peace to the young East African country, now in its fifth year of civil war.

The Portuguese officers will be based in the capital Juba, as well as in the northern part of the country, more specifically in Bentiu and Malakal, where over 130,000 internally displaced South Sudanese have sought refuge in UN protection of civilians sites.

Eager to help the people of South Sudan and leave a positive mark, they will also be working with the local police.

With the new mandate, we are now working closely with the SSNPS [South Sudan National Police Service] to provide the necessary technical assistance and advice. At the end of the day they will be the ones to conduct the protection of their own people,” says UNMISS Police Commissioner Unaisi Bolatolu-Vuniwaga.

TThe last time Portuguese police officers were spotted in a UN peacekeeping operation was in 2012, when UNMIT, the world body’s mission in Timor-Leste, closed.