A delegation of 18 students and researchers from the US National Defence University (NDU) visited Rwanda Defence Force as part of their study tour aimed at learning from Rwanda’s post genocide experience.
At RDF Headquarters the students were received on 5 April 2016 by the Air Force Chief of Staff, Brig Gen Charles Karamba, on behalf of the RDF Chief of Defence Staff. He briefed them on the RDF mission and activities including its role in Rwanda’s post genocide reconstruction and involvement in peacekeeping missions.
Gen Karamba thanked the US NDU for choosing Rwanda as a case study and also underlined that there is a lot that can be shared between US Defence and Rwanda Defence Force. Asked on Rwanda’s achievements in peacekeeping operations, Gen Karamba told the students that when RDF goes to peacekeeping mission they have a burden and responsibility to protect civilians following the experience back home of what Rwanda has suffered during 1994 genocide against Tutsi, where a UN mission failed to protect people from killers.
“We go in peacekeeping mission with a background of genocide, may be that is what informs our determination in protecting civilians, but on top of that we do a lot of pre-deployment training before going to the mission” he explained.
During their one week study tour that ends on 6 April 2016, the students visited different institutions in the country such as local government, civil society, as well as defence institutions, such as the Rwanda Military Academy Gako that trains peacekeepers, Zigama CSS and Horizon Group.
The delegation explored US and Rwanda areas of cooperation to come up with proposals on how the cooperation can be strengthened.
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