The Rwanda Defence Force is ready to deal with emerging and future threats to the country’s security, according to the military spokesperson, Brig. Gen Ronald Rwivanga.
In an interview with commentator and podcaster Sanny Ntayombya, Rwivanga said the Rwandan military invests in research and development to be able to stay relevant in a technologically advancing world.
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"We keep improving ourselves as far as equipping our units and to deal with contemporary threats and to deal with our adversaries,” he said.
"We’re always researching. We're moving forward. We've moved from Kalashnikovs to other weapons and so we are advancing.
"Without necessarily going into the details of what we are doing, I can give you a guarantee that our research and development is productive. It's doing its job.”
‘Rwandans should rest easy’
Asked about DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi’s threat that he would declare war on Rwanda if he’s re-elected, Rwivanga said "We are ready.”
"We are ready for any of those and we're always ready for that anyway. There's nothing new in our readiness. So, we are ready for that action if it ever comes. [Rwandans] should rest easy,” he said.
He also said the Rwanda Defence Force was committed to training professional soldiers.
Rwivanga also talked about Rwanda’s operations in Mozambique.
He said the Rwanda Security Forces went to the country’s northern province of Cabo Delgado motivated by the cause of protecting civilians.
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In July 2021, Rwanda deployed troops to Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado to fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency that had killed more than 4,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more since 2017.
Operations by Rwandan and Mozambican forces dislodged the terrorists from their positions and more than 250,000 people have returned to their homes.
Economic activities have resumed in the coastal districts which were once paralysed by the Ansar al Sunnah wal Jama’a terrorists.