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{{The third International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP) Sub-Saharan Africa Executive Policing conference which came to climax on March 4 in Kigali resolved that law enforcement agencies cooperate to effectively combat security threats like cybercrime, money laundering, terrorism, human and drug trafficking, fraud and proliferation and firearms.}}

The conference, which brought together over 200 participants, who include African Police chiefs, senior police officers and IACP members also agreed to harmonise standards, regulations, laws and practices to safeguard the benefits of technology and to revise the community policing approaches towards contemporary policing challenges.

About 40 African countries, 25 of them represented by their Police Chiefs, attended the conference.

Other recommendations of the conference include investing in training and capacity building of law enforcement institutions, establishment of appropriate infrastructure for gathering and sharing relevant security information and Police agencies throughout the world to foster economic development by ensuring law and orders.

The Minister of Internal Security, Sheikh Musa Fazil Harelimana, who presided over the closing ceremony, said the conference was timely to effectively strengthen partnership, exchange of best practices and information sharing to ensure safety of millions of people on the continent.

“This conference will go down in the history of Rwanda as an important event aimed at uniting police efforts for a safer world,” the Minister said.

“Modern organized, sophisticated, transnational crimes are not exclusive to one nation,” he observed.

He commended the partnership between IACP and the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO).

The two police organizations signed a memorandum of understanding on the first day of the conference to partner in various policing areas including capacity building.

The President of IACP, Mr. Yousry Zakhary thanked Rwanda and Rwanda National Police in particular, for taking the forefront in bring police forces together towards common goal.

“What unites us all is fighting crime and ensuring contemporary policing for a safer world,” said.

He urged participants to learn from Rwanda’s success story and implement what was agreed during the conference.

Gen. Victoria Phiyega, the Inspector General of South Africa Police Force said the conference has laid a foundation to a successful policing.

“It has laid a greater path towards establishing a safer continent. We have learned and picked so much and together, and only together, we will achieve more,” Gen. Victoria said.

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{{Rregional Government lawyers handling oil and gas deals are set to converge in Kigali, Rwanda to sharpen their skills on policy frameworks and transactions}}.

East African Development Bank (EADB) will host the training, attracting public sector lawyers from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. It will be conducted jointly with global law firm, DLA Piper and its non-profit affiliate New Perimeter.

The training kicks off on March 9 and ends March 14.

{{The Director of United States Army’s Africa Contingency Operations Training & Assistance (ACOTA), Col.Timothy Rainey has said that Rwanda army is the most capable World’s peacekeepers.}}

Col.Rainey said this during the launch of a two-day workshop that brought together officials from Rwanda Defence Forces, US Embassy in Kigali as well as delegates from Washington D.C.

The two-day workshop which kicked off yesterday is aimed at reviewing the lessons learnt in Peace Support Operations (PSO).

The workshop takes stock of the last years’ experience for the RDF Forces who served in missions abroad.

Speaking to journalists, Col.Rainey said that: “USA is happy to partner with Rwanda Defence Forces, one of the most Professional Defence Forces in Africa that has performed very well in restoring peace and security in various Peacekeeping Missions.

The RDF swift deployment in Central African Republic and the way they are restoring order in that troubled country makes Rwanda a very good partner with USA in the interest of Regional Security.”

He added that: “In just six days after arriving in CAR, it didn’t take RDF peacekeepers to demonstrate their brave experience in peacekeeping operations.”

While opening the workshop, RDF Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Patrick Nyamvumba stressed the importance of incorporating the lessons learnt from Rwanda’s experience in various peacekeeping missions, calling on participants to take the opportunity of the workshop to learn a lot.

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{{Five UN peacekeeping troops were wounded Monday when two people on a motorcycle threw a grenade at their patrol in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN force said Tuesday.}}

The UN mission for the stabilisation of the country (Monusco) said in a statement the attack occurred in the area of Beni in North Kivu province. It did not say how seriously the troops were hurt.

“This unacceptable attack… does not in any way reduce our support for FARDC (DRC Armed Forces) in the fight against armed groups,” Monusco chief Martin Kobler said in the statement.

“Our brief is to neutralise all the illegal armed groups in the east of the DRC, and we are determined to carry it out,” he added.

Beni is more than 300 kilometres north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, a restive resource-rich province that borders Rwanda and Uganda.

On January 16 the FARDC regular army launched an offensive against the Ugandan Muslim rebel group ADF-Nalu and announced in mid-February that it had inflicted severe losses on the rebels.

The UN provides them with logistical and tactical support to the FARDC, but on Saturday, for the first time since the start of the operation, two Monusco attack helicopters fired on a large ADF-Nalu base.

ADF-Nalu stands for Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda. It is one of the oldest but lesser known rebellions based in North-Kivu and is considered the only Islamist organisation in the region.

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{{President Paul Kagame has called upon Police forces to strengthen cooperation as an effective way to deal with global security challenges which pose threat to the socio-economic transformation of communities and states.}}

The Head of State made the call on March 3 while officially opening the two-day 3rd Sub-Saharan Africa International Association of Chief of Police (IACP) conference in Kigali held under the theme “Contemporary Policing for a Safer World.”

He said that the security challenges of the 21st century are increasing and sophisticated which requires collaboration to effectively combat them.
He urged them to come up with frameworks to improve security and development on the region and beyond, and enhance global Police cooperation in fighting crime.

“Development can only take place on the foundation of law and order. Law enforcement agencies, therefore, have a crucial role in ensuring peaceful conditions within which citizens can fully participate in the prosperity and wellbeing of their communities,” he said.

He observed that security threats in one country, region or continent have far reaching beyond national and natural borders.

The three elements of historical mission of the police, its role in a modern integrated political and economic setting and common security threats, he said, define the nature of effective role of enforcement agencies.

“Our collective aspirations are to improve the livelihoods of our people. We can achieve this more effectively when we pull our resources and efforts,” President Kagame said.

He commended regional Police organizations like the Eastern Africa Police Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) and similar others in South, West and Central Africa and the recent formation of a wider Police organization – African Police Organisation (AFRIPOL) – which he said are part of the answers to the current policing challenges.

Rwanda is the brain behind the merging of EAPCCO and Interpol to form AFRIPOL, which was adopted by African Chiefs of Police during their meeting held in Algiers, Algeria in February.

He highlighted Information Communication Technology (ICT) as an opportunity to development and also another answer to current policing challenges.

“To take full advantage of these prospects, it is critical that police forces are connected internally and across the region and set up the requisite infrastructure for gathering and sharing information.”

“As citizens and governments put technology to humanity, criminals are also quick to adopt and abuse these tools. In some cases, they are ahead of law enforcement agencies. The emergency of cybercrime which encompasses offences ranging from terrorism, money laundering, human trafficking, theft, fraud, blackmail constitutes a major challenge to police forces across the world.”

He underscored the need for Police forces to rethink and reshape approaches to keep criminals in check and called upon governments to support their respective Police agencies to execute their tasks effectively.

He urged participants to come up with mechanisms to establish a technology-best global framework for law enforcement, harmonize their stands, regulations, laws and practices in order to cope with reality of globalization and to safeguard the benefits of technology.

“Our people need a peaceful and secure environment to effect this transformation. This forum presents a strategic platform to optimize opportunities and check frets to our chosen path towards a safer and more prosperous world. For this to happen, increased collaboration is both inevitable and the answer.”

About 150 partcipants including Chiefs of Police, senior Police officers and IACP members are taking part in the conference which seeks to strengthen the professionalism, cooperation, exchange of information and experience among police forces.

Founded in 1893 in USA, IACP is a dynamic organization that promotes enhanced administrative, technical, and operational police practices; foster cooperation and the exchange of information and experience.

The President of IACP, Mr. Yousry Zakhary, who thanked the Government of Rwanda for hosting this important conference and lauded IGP Emmanuel K. Gasana for pushing for cooperation of Police forces to ensure sustainable security globally.

“It’s our duty to make every possible effort to establish working partnership between Police agencies and executives throughout the world. Despite the difference between our languages, culture and even the laws we enforce, we must work together to prevail against our common enemies and fulfill our common missions,” Zakhary said.

The Inspector General of Rwanda National Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana, who commended the big turn-up of participants to continue the path to a safer continent, said this 3rd IACP for the Sub Saharan Policing Conference comes in to enhance the existing collaboration, partnership and strengthen synergies with regional police organizations for a safer world.

He thanked the Government of Rwanda for the support towards the success of this conference.

Rwanda and Rwanda National Police in particular, have been at the forefront of uniting regional and international Police forces and organization to effectively deal with cross-border and organized security threats.

Rwanda has hosted similar international Police conferences, professional trainings and joint exercises both in command post and field training exercises.

Next year, Rwanda will host Interpol Regional Assembly, another big commitment Rwanda has made towards international cooperation.

Rwanda is also the current delegate for Africa on the Interpol Executive Committee, hosts the continental anti-gender-based violence secretariat (AFSOCCA-VAWG), Regional Centres of Excellence for high learning of Police Senior Command and Staff College, Peace Support Operations Training Centre and motor-vehicle Mechanical Inspection Centre (MIC).

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