A two-day meeting of the chiefs and directors of military intelligence of the six member states of the East African Community (EAC) opened in Kigali Tuesday morning to review the regional security situation.

General Patrick Nyamvumba, the Chief of Defence Staff of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), opened the meeting officially, highlighting a need for the intelligence community to work together to respond to the on-going regional threats.

"EAC governments need to have ability to maintain security, track and detect terror operatives, and have a group rapid response capability to defeat eminent threats,” he said, adding that the intelligence community can play an indispensable role in achieving this.

The Chief of Defence Staff General Patrick Nyamvumba gives his remarks during EAC chiefs and directors of  intelligence meeting in Kigali today. / Sam Ngendahimana

Nyamvumba said that "the absence of accurate and timely intelligence renders these [military] operations not only ineffective but also continues to put our states at risk”, emphasising the chiefs and directors to come up with recommendations to support the decision making process in overcoming some of the threats the region is facing.

He also commended the role that the quarterly meetings of the intelligence community have played.

"Since the inception, the meetings have provided a platform for partner states to share information and intelligence on issues of which are concern to our region and played a crucial role in promoting peace and security within and outside our region.

The biggest highlight of the meeting will be a presentation of the report on Al Sunnah wa Jama’ah, a Mozambican own version of Boko Haram which is believed to have links with other armed groups in the region.

Al Sunnah Wa Jama’ah operates in Cabo Delgado Province, north of Mozambique and the guerrilla movement has, for the past few years, been tightening its deadly grip on the coast of Mozambique, which also borders Tanzania.

Meanwhile, Rwanda will assume the Chairmanship of the quarterly meetings of the EAC’s chiefs and directors of military intelligence. Uganda has held it for the past one year.

Last week, President Paul Kagame took over the Chairmanship of the EAC Heads of State Summit after the 20th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State held in Arusha, Tanzania.

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