On 25 February 2016, UNAMID Sector West Police Component in collaboration with the Ordnance Disposal Office have concluded a five-day training programme on explosive remnants of war (EWR) that brought together 21 Sudanese police officers in El Geneina, West Darfur.

The event, took place at the Child Protection Unit conference hall in El Geneina, was attended by the UNAMID Sector West Police Commander, David Eklu; UNAMID Sector West Head of Ordnance Disposal Office, Louis Visagie; Representative of Head of Government of Sudan Police, Lieutenant El-Hafiz Omer and a number of UNAMID police and government officers.

The training aimed at promoting safer behaviour around firearms and ammunition among the civilians, providing general understanding of issues related to Small Arms and Light Weapon (SALW) controls, as well as providing knowledge about the UNAMID SALW 2014-2016 strategy and firearms safety awareness strategy.

UNAMID Sector West Police Commander, Mr. Eklu congratulated the participants for successfully completing the training, which will expand their knowledge when performing their duties in a conflict zone, calling on the participants to utilize what they have learned to protect themselves and their communities “When the community feels secure, the relationship between them and the police is not in jeopardy but rather strengthened,” Mr. Eklu added. He stated that learning is a continuous process and assured all gathered at the ceremony of UNAMID continued support to build capacity of the local police within its resources so that they perform in accordance with the international standards.

In his remarks, Lieutenant Hafiz Omer, thanked UNAMID for organizing such training. He appealed to UNAMID to conduct more similar courses and urged the participants to share knowledge gained with their fellow officers.

The training sessions covered several topics including, gender and guns, UNAMID SALW and Firearm Safety Awareness (FSA) strategy, ERW threats and impact.