By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
Sierra Leone has been asked to send more Police personnel to South Sudan and Somalia for peacekeeping duties.
This was stated by Police Director of Crime Services, Commissioner Joseph Ibrahim Lahai during a press briefing at the Police Headquarters in Freetown last week.
He said despite drawdowns in peacekeeping missions in the two countries, Sierra Leonean Police (SLP) are needed, adding that personnel have been performing “very well at global level,” and exhibiting “exemplary performance’’.
"This is because of how we train the Somali Police, how we network with them and handle critical issues surrounding policing," said Commissioner Lahai.
Upon the situation in the Caribbean nation of Haiti also improving, the officer said that country would want the Inspector-General of the Sierra Leone Police to deploy personnel there to help in building up their Police institution to meet international standards and best practices.
South Sudan has also called on the SLP to train its police, Lahai added.
Head of SLP Media , Brima Kamara later told Politico that after Cabinet approves the deployments, then the sending of serving men and women will take place.
“We have those that have gone and more are going almost every week,” Kamara said.
Speaking about their peacekeeping mission in the African Union Transition in Somalia, he noted there have been some drawdowns, but that the Somalian government “still needs” the SLP peacekeeping mission.
He went to say Sierra Leone has the second largest contingent after Nigeria. ”We have a slot of thirty-nine, and that the slot has not been affected at all,” Kamara added, saying more SLP personnel have been demanded and they will be sending over one hundred officers to both Somalia and South Sudan to support the Reforming of their Police Units.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (05/02/24)
