"As you can see, I wear a uniform and a blue beret," Lt. Col. Ken Lindstein from Canada said to students gathering under a large tent in a well-kept, green schoolyard in Bahri, "but I don't carry a rifle or a pistol."

Explaining peacekeepers' impartiality, Lt. Col. Lindstein told the students, aged between 13 and 16, that UNMIS was in the country to assist the Government of Sudan in implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, as requested by the Sudanese government.

He also noted that UNMIS troops, who came from 52 different countries, were mandated to monitor and verify activities of the previously warring parties of North and Southern Sudan as well as assist with various other activities, including disarmament and demobilization, demining, protection of civilians and elections scheduled for April 2010.

According to headmistress Najat Mustafa, students lacked comprehensive information on the importance of peace for their wider communities. She expressed hope that they would have a clearer picture after the event.

When there was peace, Lt. Col. Lindstein noted, "Children like you have the opportunity to get education without violence ... instead of having to worry about your villages being attacked."

Students of the Bahri school, which boasts one of Khartoum's best yearly exam results, also posed questions to the UNMIS representative, many focusing on how the mission would ensure peace and stability after elections as well as the referendum scheduled for 2011.

Noting that UNMIS aimed to bring conflicting parties together in finding resolutions, Lt. Col. Lindstein also emphasized students' role in educating themselves about the peace process. When peace was maintained, he added, development occurred and more opportunities opened up for the country's population.

At a similar event the previous week at a Jebel Awlia school, where a number of children of internally displaced persons (IDPs) go, students also voiced misconceptions about UNMIS' role.

"Before the lecture, I did not think that the mission had a role in peace in Sudan. However, my concept has changed ... (UNMIS) helps in achieving peace and the returning of the IDPs to their homes after years of war," said student Doaa Adam.

During January 2010, UNMIS – in collaboration with the state Ministry of Education – reached out to seven schools in each Khartoum locality, sensitizing a total of more than 4,000 students and 350 teachers about the culture of peace.