Regional military, police and civilian officers who completed a one-week training on understanding conflicts and conflict analysis have vowed to use the acquired skills to help solving conflicts in their respective countries and in the region in general.

The course, which aimed at equipping them with knowledge on conflict understanding and analysis, closed on Friday.

It was conducted at Rwanda Peace Academy in Musanze District.

Maj. Kenny Miriti, from International Peace Support, Kenya, said the course had opened his mind on how to analyse factors that constitute a conflict.

He said he had realised that while solving conflicts, people in duty should first understand the root causes before they can think of a solution.

Miriti said the course was not only instrumental in solving conflicts that are complex in nature, but also disputes arising in his country, which he said need some level of understanding and the kind of analysis the training equipped him with.

"The information that I got here, the techniques in terms of learning how to analyse the situation, looking at all the dynamics and the root causes which I have learnt are the core to being able to resolve the conflicts on the ground,” he added.

Using skills for concerted efforts

The course is a collaborative effort between the Rwanda Peace Academy and the UN Institute for Training and Research (Unitar) according to officials.

Brig. Gen. Dr Norbert Kalimba, the lead facilitator from Unitar, urged participants to use the acquired skills to work together to solve conflicts which are in the region and affect regional countries collectively.

"When conflicts occur, they affect us as a region; we, therefore, need to act as a group to address them,” he said.

Col. Jill Rutaremara, the director of Rwanda Peace Academy, expressed confidence that they would always apply the tools of analysis they gained from the course in analysing the various complex and dynamic conflicts around the world.

The course drew participants from Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Republic of Sudan, Uganda and the host country, Rwanda.

jmbonyinshuti@newtimes.co.rw