BUGESERA- The chief of Defence Staff of the Rwanda Defence Forces, Lt. Gen Kayonga, Friday urged officers of the Rwanda Air Force (RAF) who will be heading to the Sudan troubled region of Darfur to defend national values.

He was addressing the first contingent of 140 personnel who are ready to be deployed in the United Nations-African Union Hybrid peace keeping mission in Darfur, Sudan.

"You need to jealously guard the core values of our nation as you head for the peace mission. You must be exemplary in whatever activities you do,” he told the highly motivated soldiers.

The contingent had just completed a pre-deployment course in Peace Keeping Operation (PKO) at Rwanda Military Academy Gako on Friday.  The training started on November 9, 2011.

This is the first air force contingent to be deployed in RDF history. It is mainly composed of helicopter pilots, flight engineers and support staff. 

The colourful ceremony also included demonstrations on rescuing and administering first aid to wounded soldiers during operations.

Ends