Rwanda’s contribution in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has reached "considerable progress” in maintaining peace and security, according to Lt Col Simon Kabera, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).

Kabera said this on Wednesday August 7, 2024, addressing the media after a night patrol by Rwandan troops serving under UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSCA) in the capital Bangui.

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"The mission of protecting civilians is being achieved progressively,” he said. "You see business activities; people are enjoying their life. The citizens do not have any problem.”

Kabera said the Central African Republic will be able to keep its security without needing foreign assistance.

"In the future, the Central Africans themselves will be able to take over the responsibility,” he noted.

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Rwanda first deployed troops to CAR in January 2014 under MINUSCA. Currently, there are more than 2,000 Rwandan soldiers serving in the UN mission.

Rwanda also has troops in the CAR, thanks to a bilateral agreement between the two countries.

RDF has trained more than 1,100 CAR soldiers. The latest cohort, which graduated on August 5, was made up of more than 630 soldiers.

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Kabera said that RDF hopes to even go beyond offering basic training to senior officers’ training.

At first, the Central Africans "didn’t understand our purpose in Bangui,” Kabera noted, adding that mindset has since changed due to the performance of the Rwandan troops.

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Addressing the critics of Rwanda’s peacekeeping initiatives, Kabera said that the negative perception is harboured from people who do not understand its motivation.

He said Rwanda’s experience during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi when UN peacekeepers couldn’t stop massacres was reason enough to stand in a position of protecting people who are in need.

"As Rwandans, we know our background from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. We had peacekeepers who never stopped it,” he said.

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The results of Rwanda&039;s contribution to peace in CAR are attested to by the local people.

Yendet Joel Maxime, a resident of Bangui, said the presence of Rwandan troops has helped them go back to business and children to go back with schools re-open.

"Rwandan troops have taught us to live in harmony, whether Muslim or not, and all the people from different tribes,” he said.

Evodi Bagouya, a teacher, echoed the same sentiments, saying that Rwanda soldiers give them confidence in security due to their discipline.

"You can’t find any of them in the bars; they are only focused on their mission,” she said.

According to Bagouya, Rwandan troops should stay in CAR because they are the ones who restored peace and security and gave them a chance to move freely.