Lt Gen Frank Mushyo Kamanzi yesterday assumed his duties as the new Force Commander of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in Sudan.

He was received by a military parade and UNAMID high ranking military and civilians personnel at El Fasher, according to a statement from the Rwanda Defence Forces.

On December 14 last year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma named Kamanzi as the man to succeed Lt Gen Paul Ignace Mella of Tanzania, who completed his tour of duty on December 31.

Lt Gen Kamanzi was until his UN-AU appointment the Chief of Staff, Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), a position he had held since July 2012.

Lt Gen Kamanzi is the second Rwandan to hold the top UNAMID position after Gen Patrick Nyamvumba, currently RDF Chief of Defence Staff, held the position for four years (2009 -2013).

This is the second time the Rwandan general has joined the peacekeeping force, having served as Deputy Force Commander/Chief Military Observer-African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) – the precursor for UNAMID – from 2006-2007.

Rwanda, one of the first countries to deploy peacekeepers to Darfur – in 2004 – maintains three Infantry Battalions, Military Observers, and Police staffers in UNAMID.

Kamanzi is a graduate of the War College, National Defence University, Washington D.C, United States (2005); Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Nigeria (2003); and Army Command College of China Peoples’ Liberation Army, Nanjing, China (1996).

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