Senior officers attending the Senior Command and Staff Course at the Rwanda Defence Forces Command and Staff College in Nyakinama, Musanze District, are scheduled to leave the country today on an International Study Tour in Israel and Vietnam.

The tour will run from March 28 to April 5, under the theme: "The Resilience of a Nation in the face of National Security Challenges.”

The tour aims at providing students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of the history, defence and security establishment, geo-political environment and socio-economic initiatives made by the host countries to ensure peace and  stability.

 The delegations will include 76 students and staff from Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and South Sudan.

They will examine the strides made by host nations in dealing with security challenges, including transcending all odds to emerge successful against seemingly stronger adversaries, according to a statement from the college.

"The college’s decision to visit the two countries was based on their historical record of resilience and collective commitment. Israel and Vietnam are two examples of nations that remained united and strong in the face of enormous threats from within and without their respective borders. Both countries also continued to register high rates of economic growth and improved  welfare for their citizens,” the statement reads in part.

In line with the study tour objectives, the host nations have designed a programme to enable the participants to visit several government institutions that include, among others, the ministries of Defence, and Foreign affairs, security organs and several other government agencies where learning will be facilitated by briefs to be conducted by senior government officials.

"The college expects participants to derive immense benefits from this tour, including fostering enduring cooperation between our countries.”