The image might not have circulated widely, but it was very powerful. It was a photo of the President of Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, laying a wreath on the flag-draped coffin of a Rwandan peacekeeper who was killed last week when their convoy was attacked by armed men. The soldier was part of the Rwandan contingent serving in the UN stabilization mission in CAR, MINUSCA, that was ambushed last week leading to his death. Rwanda has been very active in UN peacekeeping missions and deployed in CAR from the very beginning and it has also contributed troops in other theatres of operations. For a small country like Rwanda, contributing peacekeeping troops in several missions is a great sacrifice but it does so because it knows firsthand the importance or lack of peacekeepers. From the time the current Rwandan government stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, it vowed never to seat back when war crimes were being committed elsewhere. That is why it was one of the first countries to adhere to the Responsibility To Protect (R2P) principle. Under the principle, it is not business as usual where countries brandish the sovereignty and non-interference flag as they busily butcher their own. Other countries have the responsibility to intervene. The death of the Rwandan peacekeeper in CAR last week is a stark reminder that peacekeeping is not a walk in the park. But that will not deter Rwandan troops, even if it means laying the lives of their troops on the line when duty calls.
