Twenty uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be sent to South Sudan for peacekeeping mission in the conflict-torn area in northeast Africa.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. said the 20-man PNP peacekeeping contingents will be part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) which was created to consolidate peace and security and to help establish conditions for development in the country which was created in 2011.
"This PNP deployment is testament to the Philippines’ effort to revitalize participation in UN peacekeeping operations," said Azurin.
The PNP contingent is composed of 13 female officers and seven male officers who will serve as Individual Police Officers (IPOs).
The approximate schedule for their departure is on Nov. 15.
The deployment of 20 IPOs is a “comeback” of the PNP to UN Mission, having zero participation for quite some time due to the global pandemic.
This development is expected to substantially improve the current standing of the Philippines as a Police-Contributing Country, according to Azurin.
South Sudan became the newest country in the world in 2011 following a six-year peace process which began with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005.
Fighting broke out two years later which resulted in the UN reinforcing the UNMISS to protect civilians, for human rights monitoring, and to support for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and for the implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.