Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Vincent Biruta on Tuesday, October 24, visited Rwandan troops deployed under a bilateral arrangement with the Central African Republic (CAR) and those serving under the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country (MINUSCA), in Bangui.

Biruta was accompanied by NISS Secretary General Maj Gen Joseph Nzabamwita and the Head of the Rwandan diplomatic mission in CAR, Olivier Kayumba.

The focus of the visit was to inspect the operational readiness of Rwandan troops and to deliver a message of gratitude for work done from President Paul Kagame, the Commander in Chief of Rwanda Defence Force, according to a statement by the RDF on Tuesday.

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In Bangui, Camp Kassai, Biruta and Nzabamwita also met with the CAR Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff in Charge of Planning, Brig Gen Arcadius Betibangui and discussed ongoing training cooperation between RDF and CAR armed forces.

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Rwanda has a big peacekeeping contingent serving under MINUSCA, and force protection troops - trained to conduct special operations - that Kigali deployed to the country in December 2020 under a bilateral agreement on defence.

In August 2021, Rwanda and the Central African Republic signed four bilateral agreements during President Faustin-Archange Touadéra's state visit to Rwanda.

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The four pacts included a Memorandum of Understanding to support a strategy for security sector reforms.

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In 2020, Rwanda deployed "force protection troops” to the Central African Republic, under a bilateral agreement on defence.

At the time, officials said, the deployment was in response to the targeting of the Rwandan contingent under the UN Peacekeeping mission in CAR by rebels loyal to former President François Bozize.

In March, Bozizé who was, among others, accused of trying to sabotage the December 27, 2020 election process in the country, after he was not permitted to stand for election, went into exile in Guinea-Bissau.

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As reported at the time, Bozizé, the leader of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) which was formed by several armed groups in December 2020 – landed in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, on March 2, aboard a special flight from Chad, where he had been hiding since 2021.