Tanzanian army delegation calls on Kagame

VILLAGE URUGWIRO-President Paul Kagame yesterday at Village Urugwiro, received a Tanzanian military delegation led by Gen Davis Mwamunyange, the Chief of Defence Forces, of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF). Gen. Mwamunyange is in the country on an official visit following invitation by his Rwandan counterpart. Speaking to reporters after the courtesy call, Mwamunyange said that Tanzania and Rwanda share a lot and maintain strong relations, noting that his visit is about how these ties can be strengthened. “We are here to strengthen ties between our armed forces. During our meeting with the President, he emphasised the need for us to continue with our efforts to reinforce, enhance and expand military to military cooperation. “My discussions with my Rwandan counterparts will also be along the same lines--strengthening the strong ties and collaboration between the armies of our two countries and the way forward,” Gen. Mwamunyange said. The RDF Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt. Gen Charles Kayonga, said that among other things, the army chiefs will deliberate on several areas of cooperation including training and information sharing. “Cooperation between our two armies has been ongoing and what we are doing is to strengthen these ties. We want to work together in areas like training and regional security. “The delegation is going to visit several military installations including Nyakinama and Gako where we conduct our training. The delegation will also visit other parts of the country.” Gen. Kayonga said. According to the RDF spokesperson, Col. Joseph Nzabamwita, Rwanda and Tanzanian armies enjoy bilateral as well as multi-lateral cooperation on the EAC front, where both armies carry out military exercises together. The two armies have an exchange programme whereby Tanzanians train in Rwandan military institutions and vice versa, Nzabamwita said. The visit will be concluded on August 26. Ends

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Tanzanian army delegation calls on Kagame