More 42 SA police officers join AU mission in Sudan’s Darfur

Sept 14, 2005 (JOHANNESBURG) — A contingent of 42 members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) left from Lanseria Airport on Wednesday 14 September morning to perform duties in Sudan’s Darfur region, police management said.

This would bring to 85 the number of SAPS members doing duty in various parts of Sudan, said the office of national police commissioner Jackie Selebi. The new group included five women.

“This group and police members from other African countries will be under the command of director Anand Pillay, a South African who was appointed as the commissioner of the African Union mission in Sudan.”

Selebi’s office said all members deployed in Sudan had volunteered, and were selected after medical tests and professional evaluations.

Pillay would deploy the members in the regions of Al-Fashir, Nyala, Al-Junaynah, Kabkabiyah, Tini, Kutum, Zalingei and Al-Duwaym.

Their duties included monitoring the service of the police of the government of Sudan and helping to promote relations between the police and the community.

They would also give technical advice.

So far, 15 SAPS members had returned to South Africa after performing duties for six months in Sudan.

“We expect to make a further deployment in Sudan during November this year,” Selebi’s office said.

(SAPA/ST)