URUGWIRO VILLAGE - President Paul Kagame yesterday received visiting British Army Chief of General Staff (CGS), Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt at Urugwiro Village, where the two discussed a number of issues regarding regional security.

Dannatt’s call on the President came shortly before he ended his two-day official visit in the country.

After their meeting the British military chief told journalists that his discussion with Kagame mainly centred on the ongoing joint operation between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo aimed at routing out negative forces out of the central African country.

"We fully support what you are doing (Rwanda and DRC) in securing peace and stability for this region, especially considering the negative influences in the Eastern part of the country which pose a security threat to Rwanda,” said Dannatt about the joint operation that has been code named Umoja Wetu.

He applauded the joint operation which has reportedly registered success since its launch three weeks ago, labelling it a final solution to insecurity problems that have plundered the region for years. 

The British army chief commended Kagame’s role in maintaining continental peace especially by providing troops to the United Nation mission in Darfur region of Sudan. He pledged support to such missions through Bilateral and Military cooperation programmes.

The British army chief who was the first British CGS to visit Rwanda was accompanied to Urugwiro Village by his Rwandan counterpart, Chief of Defence Staff Gen James Kabarebe.

The army heads had earlier held talks on how the two armies can strengthen ties and continue working together especially regarding training and skills sharing.

Dannatt pledged more military cooperation between the British Army and the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), with the former offering to continue providing training and logistical support. He said that there are arrangements to train armies within the East African Community, of which Rwanda is a member. 

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