Police Senior Command & Staff College Student Officers Urged To Understand African Contemporary Security Challenge

{{The Minister of Defence, Hon. Gen James Kabarebe while discussing “Contemporary Security challenges: the African Perspective” on August 8, advised the Police Senior Officers from 12 African countries undertaking Senior Command and Staff Course in National Police College (NPC) to analyse, understand the genesis of conflicts to meet the African security challenges.}}

General Kabarebe emphasized that every conflict, in every environment has its own particularities, hence needs particular attention; conflicts are different. He underlined that contemporary security challenges in Africa are mainly intrastate violent conflicts which emanate from colonial influence, foreign interference and internal factors.

He further noted that an accurate understanding of any violent conflict must be preceded by a comprehensive analysis.

“Understanding the causes, forms and characteristics of the intrastate violent conflicts leads to successful post conflict resolution, conflict prevention and development”, explained Minister Kabarebe.

Talking about the root causes of the Eastern DRC conflict, the Minister of Defence mentioned FDLR genocidal forces and the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “FDLR remains one single most root cause of insecurity to E.DRC, Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region”.

The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Chief of Defence Force, Gen Patrick Nyamvumba shared with the Police Command and Staff Students the United Nations Mission Experience: the Military Component in peacekeeping operations.

Gen Nyamvumba urged the Course Participants to understand the dynamics of the conflict for effective management. He noted that as the officers who might be deployed in UN Missions for the next years, they have to understand very well the genesis of the conflict in their respective mission deployments.

Gen Nyamvumba shared with the students of Senior Command and Staff Course, the quote of Dag Hammarskjold stating that “the UN was not created to take humanity to heaven but to save it from the hell”.

The commandant of NPC, Commissioner of Police Felix Namuhoranye thanked the Guest Speakers: Honorable Minister of Defence and Gen Nyamvumba for sharing their rich experience with the Student Officers.

Senior Command and Staff Course at NPC is attended by 28 participants from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. It was launched officially by H.E President Paul Kagame on 10 June 2013.

MOD