14 October 2008 -- During a welcoming ceremony held at UNAMID Super Camp in El Fasher, North Darfur, the Deputy Joint Special Representative (DJSR) for Operations & Management, Mr. Hocine Medili formally welcomed the Indonesian Formed Police Unit (FPU) which joined the mission on 12 October 2008.

In his remarks on behalf of Mr. Rodolphe Adada, the Joint Special Representative, Mr. Medili welcomed the new peacekeepers, declaring “you have come from afar to contribute to peace in Darfur, which will also lead to peace in Sudan and the region”.

Mr. Medili mentioned that he had previouslyworked with Indonesian troops in the UN mission in Cambodia and was proud of their services.

“Before your deployment, we had Bangladeshi FPUs who have been in Nyala since November 2007. Your 140-strong contingent has increased the total number of UNAMID FPUs on the ground and will assist in restoring security and protection of civilians”, he added.

FPUs are specialized, self-sufficient and fully mobile rapid reaction police units, serving with UNAMID.  They are entirely composed of police elements from a single contingent, with expertise in crowd-management and other police tactical operations.

UNAMID Police Commissioner Michael Fryer and other senior UNAMID police officers and officials attended the ceremony.