{"id":2000115457,"date":"2026-06-12T15:02:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000115457"},"modified":"2026-06-13T08:52:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T06:52:59","slug":"kagame-urges-courage-integrity-as-senior-military-officers-from-20-countries-graduate-in-musanze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/kagame-urges-courage-integrity-as-senior-military-officers-from-20-countries-graduate-in-musanze\/","title":{"rendered":"Kagame urges courage, integrity as senior military officers from 20 countries graduate in Musanze"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Addressing 108 senior officers from 20 countries during a graduation ceremony at the college’s Nyakinama campus in Musanze District on Friday, Kagame said while military education provides knowledge and strategic skills, the most important qualities of leadership must be developed personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis course was designed to enhance your ability to navigate complex and sometimes seemingly impossible situations. However, there are certain qualities that no course can give you \u2014 these you must personally cultivate,\u201d Kagame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He identified courage as the ability to act decisively amid uncertainty and risk, warning that complexity can often lead to paralysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Kagame also stressed the importance of sound judgment, noting that the consequences of decisions become greater as officers rise through the ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou must always remember what you are fighting for. For us, that purpose is anchored in protecting our sovereignty while advancing the continued transformation of our country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Head of State congratulated the graduates on completing the programme, saying they were leaving with broader knowledge, sharper strategic awareness and a greater sense of responsibility. He also acknowledged the support and sacrifices made by their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlighting the value of the course’s international character, Kagame said the relationships forged among officers from different countries help strengthen cooperation during future operations and regional engagements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe value of the connections you have made here cannot be overstated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagame said the Rwanda Defence Force’s reputation had been built through years of discipline, professionalism and dedicated service, and urged the graduates to uphold those standards. He also called on them to embrace integrity, continuous learning and adaptability as security challenges and technologies evolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The graduation marked the completion of a 46-week Senior Command and Staff Course attended by officers from Rwanda and partner countries including Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RDFCSC Commandant Brigadier General Andrew Nyamvumba said the graduates had completed rigorous training in operational planning, combined joint task force operations, peace support operations, research and strategic leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese officers arrived 46 weeks ago as promising military professionals. Today, they depart as refined operational and strategic-level commanders and staff officers, ready to serve their nations and contribute to international peace and security,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nyamvumba said the growing diversity of participants reflects expanding military partnerships across the region and beyond, while the college’s collaboration with the University of Uganda enables eligible officers to earn a Master of Arts in Security Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urged the graduates to apply their training with humility and selflessness in service of peace and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ceremony was attended by senior government officials, defence and security leaders, military representatives from partner countries, academic institutions and families of the graduating officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ceremony was attended by senior government officials, defence and security leaders, military representatives from partner countries, academic institutions and families of the graduating officers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Addressing 108 senior officers from 20 countries during a graduation ceremony at the college’s Nyakinama campus in Musanze District on Friday, Kagame said while military education provides knowledge and strategic skills, the most important qualities of leadership must be developed personally.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Head of State congratulated the graduates on completing the programme, saying they were leaving with broader knowledge, sharper strategic awareness and a greater sense of responsibility. He also acknowledged the support and sacrifices made by their families.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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President Paul Kagame has urged senior military officers graduating from the Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (RDFCSC) to cultivate courage, integrity and sound judgment as they prepare to assume greater leadership responsibilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000115458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000115457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000115458,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/HKnKzcGXUAAmY9v.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":2048,"height":1366,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/HKnKzcGXUAAmY9v.jpeg","width":2048,"height":1366},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/HKnKzcGXUAAmY9v.jpeg","width":2048,"height":1366},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/HKnKzcGXUAAmY9v.jpeg","width":2048,"height":1366},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/HKnKzcGXUAAmY9v.jpeg","width":2048,"height":1366},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/HKnKzcGXUAAmY9v.jpeg","width":2048,"height":1366}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000115457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000115457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000115457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000115484,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000115457\/revisions\/2000115484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000115458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000115457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000115457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000115457"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000115457"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000115457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}