– U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda Donald W. Koran, U.S. military and senior Rwandan Defense Forces officials said farewell Thursday to the first of dozens of U.S. military cargo jet flights that will transport more than 800 Rwandan peacekeepers to their new peacekeeping mission: to end the violence, protect civilians, prevent further atrocities, provide humanitarian assistance, and help create an environment for constitutional and democratic governance to take root in the Central African Republic.
The deployment follows a request by the African Union for Rwanda to contribute peacekeepers to MISCA in order to achieve its mandate to: Protect civilians, restore security and public order; stabilise the country and restore state authority; support reform and restructuring of the defence and security; and create conducive conditions to the provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in need. The peacekeepers will operate under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
Within a period of 20 days, a US Military aircraft (C-17) will airlift 850 peacekeepers to Bangui, CAR’s capital city.
The cooperation between the United States and Rwanda is just the latest example of one of the strongest peacekeeping relationships in the region, Ambassador Koran said.
“The United States government is pleased to work with Rwanda on our shared goal of making sure the people of the Central African Republic have a chance to live safe, secure and productive lives,” Koran said. “The security partnership between our two countries benefits more than Rwandans and Americans. It benefits other countries in the region and the world over. Of that, we are proud.”
“The existing cooperation between Rwanda and the US Government in Peacekeeping Operations is a cornerstone for concerted efforts to ensure that peace and security is restored in the region and beyond. Rwanda Defence Force reiterates its sincere gratitude to the US for the invaluable support in providing strategic airlifts and associated logistical support for the deployment of the Peacekeeping Force to CAR,” said General Patrick Nyamvumba, RDF Chief of Defence Staff.
“Besides the battalion’s experience as RDF soldiers, it has undergone a pre-deployment training with specifics on CAR and has been robustly equipped to fulfill their mission mandate,” said Brigadier General Joseph Nzabamwita, Defence and Military Spokesman.
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