REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian police will send a team to Darfur, Sudan, to investigate the arms smuggling case allegedly involving members of the Indonesian peacekeeping force in Darfur, a police official said. "We will send a team there to investigate the matter," Secretary of National Central Bureau, Interpol Indonesia, Brigadier General Naufal Yahya, said when contacted over the report here on Monday.

It was earlier reported that the government in North Darfur had said that Indonesian police members in the peacekeeping force had been arrested at the Al Fashir airport in Sudan on Friday (Jan 20) for allegedly attempting to smuggle arms and ammunition camouflaged as rare minerals. 

According to the Sudanese Media Centre, the arms included 29 Kalashnikovs, four rifles, six GM3 and 61 pistols of various types and a large number of various kinds of ammunition. Naufal stated he could not as yet confirm the arms ownership. "We are still checking to see who they belong to. They come (together) with those of the Indonesian police contingent. That is why we will send a team to check it," he added.

A total of 140 personnel of Garuda Bhayangkara II Forme Police Unit (FPU) IX left for Darfur, Sudan, in Africa, on Jan 20. The force consists of 100 tactical members and 40 supporting members. They will be assigned in Darfur for a year to replace the FPU VIII team that has completed its term. 

Also read: Indonesian peacekeepers are arrested in Sudan for smuggling weapons

The personnel were recruited from 29 regional police commands and four units in the National Police Headquarters. After passing selection tests, they were trained in language capability, police technicalities and social-culture areas.

Deputy House Speaker Fadli Zon remarked that tighter selection must be carried out on personnel to be sent as peacekeeping force members abroad. "Supervision must be increased so that those who will be stationed abroad have strong discipline because they carry the name Indonesia," he said in response to the case.

Fadli stated that the force will face tough sanctions if the information about the case was true. He said their action could hurt the reputation of the Indonesian peace keeping forces that have so far maintained good conduct. "I think they must be made non-active until the case is settled," he added.

The politician from the opposition party Gerindra said he believed the case did not involve institution but only individuals.

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