GABIRO - Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Charles Kayonga on Friday stressed that the Rwandan Defence Force’s (RDF) commitment is not only about Rwanda but the whole world.

The Army Chief of Staff said this at Gabiro School of Infantry, while officiating at the closing ceremony of a Section Commander’s course, the first of its kind, jointly conducted by Rwandan, British and American instructors.

"The Rwandan military is not only about Rwanda. It is about the whole world. Our constitution instructs us, allows us, not only to serve Rwanda but also to serve the general international community,” Kayonga said.

With over 2,500 of its troops deployed in the volatile eastern Sudanese region of Darfur, Rwanda is the world’s 6th largest peace keeping troop contributor and Lt. Gen. Kayonga linked the facts with his account.

"I think that is why you are involved in peace keeping. I think some of you have participated in peace keeping in Darfur in the Sudan and some of your brothers here have been participating either as troops on the ground or as military observers,” he told the troops who passed impressively.

The Army Chief of Staff noted that the RDF has and is continuing to participate in peace keeping missions in West Africa, as well as supporting other armies in their peace keeping endeavours.

"Recently, we had a group of Somalis training here and, currently, we are training the officer cadets at Gako – we are training members of the East African Community (EAC),” he said, noting that these included Liberian officer cadets as well.

His remarks especially came after British envoy Nicolas Cannon stressed his government’s satisfaction in contributing experience and training to enhance the RDF’s potential.

Among these,  the Army Chief of Staff noted also involved helping the Rwandan army participate fully in the global environment.

Ambassador Cannon had stalwartly explained why his government wants to help, saying that the UK remained strongly committed to Rwanda’s development objectives.

"Security is the essential part of this. There is no point in developing economically if the country is insecure. So, a strong professionally trained army is a necessary part of this,” Ambassador Cannon said.

"The Rwandan government and people have also decided to deploy forces elsewhere in Africa in support of peace. The international community is very grateful for that but it means that you need the best training and the best equipment.”

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