30 September 2009 -- Egypt’s first formed police unit (FPU) to be deployed in UNAMID arrived today pushing the current number of FPUs in the Mission to 12 of an authorized total of nineteen. The 130 policemen will be based in El Fasher to increase the Mission’s patrol capacity in communities around the area, especially in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps to ensure the safety and security of civilians.

With today’s deployment, there are now 1,675 policemen in FPUs in the Mission, representing over 65 per cent of a total 2,660. Among other tasks, they presently conduct all-day patrols in 16 IDP camps in North, West and South Darfur.

Formed police units comprise police officers from an individual contingent who have expertise in crowd management and other related tactical operations. They are highly specialized and have a mobile rapid reaction capacity.

Prior to today's deployment, Egypt already had more than 2,300 troops and 71 individual police officers serving with UNAMID.

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