A total of 634 soldiers of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) graduated on Monday, August 5 in the capital Bangui, the second cohort to be trained by the Rwanda Defence Force.

The first cohort of 512 soldiers trained under the framework of a bilateral agreement between Rwanda and CAR graduated on November 24, 2023. During last year’s ceremony, President Faustin-Archange Touadéra said the bilateral cooperation arrangement with Rwanda is fruitful, having helped to restore peace and security in his country.

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Besides President Touadéra, who is the guest of honour, and other top CAR political and military leaders, the latest graduation ceremony at Camp Kassai, a military compound on the outskirts of Bangui, was attended by RDF Army Chief of Staff Maj Gen Vincent Nyakarundi.

Nyakarundi on August 4 visited Rwandan peacekeepers operating in the Central African Republic and expressed his gratitude for their exceptional efforts in ensuring the protection of the local population, and updated them on the overall security situation in the region. Nyakarundi commended the Rwandan peacekeepers for their dedication, emphasizing that their contribution to the protection of civilians and their properties in CAR is remarkable. He encouraged them to continue carrying out their duties professionally to execute the UN mandate and the existing bilateral cooperation agreements between Rwanda and CAR.

Rwanda first deployed troops to CAR in January 2014 and the country now has more than 2,000 soldiers serving in CAR under the UN peacekeeping mission. They protect civilians, the country’s top leaders including President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, UN personel and equipment, as well as strategic national facilities and areas including M’Poko International Airport.

Besides the peacekeepers serving under the UN peacekeeping mission, on December 20, 2020, Kigali deployed force protection troops to CAR under a bilateral agreement on defence, in response to the targeting of the RDF contingent serving under MINUSCA by a militia coalition intent on overthrowing the government.

There are 1,200 Rwandan special forces in the country under the bilateral agreement. Their tasks include restoring peace and security, securing Bangui and its surroundings, ensuring peoples freedom of movement, as well as securing the residence of the President at Damara - a region in the prefecture of Ombella-M&039;Poko, located just about an hour from the capital, Bangui.