Twenty-seven military, police officers and civilians from Africa and the United Kingdom on Friday, July 8 completed a mission planning course at the Rwanda Peace Academy (RPA) in Musanze District.

The two-week training, titled "Integrated Mission Planning Course," was organized by the African Union (AU), the British Peace Support Team and the RPA. 

It drew 25 participants from 10 African countries, namely Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Ethiopia, Gabon, Seychelles, South Africa and Rwanda the host as well two from the UK.

According to the officials, the course, attended by mostly participants from the Economic Community of the Central African States (ECCAS), served to strengthen AU's capability in peacekeeping mission planning for conflict-hit regions.

"While conflict prevention is and should be the primary focus of the African Union, and while the AU has the vision of 'Silencing the Guns in Africa,' conflicts on the continent cannot just be be wished away,' the RPA Director, Col (Rtd) Jill Rutaremara, said Friday, as he officially closed the course.

"Intervention by the AU and the United Nations through peace support operations will be needed. Intervention per se is not enough; it is effective intervention that is required. The production and articulation of integrated mission plans requires input from the military, police and civilians who must understand the roles and responsibilities."

Rutaremara commended the AU Commission for developing a standardized curriculum of the Integrated Mission Planning Course to ensure course participants in all parts of the continent get the same knowledge.

The UK Defence Attaché to Rwanda, Lt Col Toby Barrington Barnes, said his country funded the course because it would benefit peacekeepers on the African continent.

"This course is absolutely critical for all the students who've come from different countries and partner nations who are providing security in places like Somalia and other in other African Union and UN missions. It's a vital part of an officer's training within his career progression."

The participants said the training equipped them with more knowledge, which is necessary in peacekeeping missions.

"Though this course has been going on for only two weeks, we have gained a lot of knowledge about how the military, police and civilians work together and share information in order to restore security; that is about coordination, liaison and planning," Col Gakumba Jomba from the Rwanda Defence Force, who serves the Deputy Commander of the FOMAC, a military force of the ECCAS.

Nearly 20 percent of the course participants were women.

"We have a lot of complex situations in the continent and most of the time we are called to plan missions for peace support," said Dr. Maria Magagane from South Africa's military health services.

"Because we normally have a multicomponent mission where you have the police/gendarmerie, the military and civilians, this course helps us to have common ground to be able to achieve an effective mission."