International military observer’s course ends

A three-week International Military Observers’ course ended yesterday at the Rwanda Peace Academy (RPA) Nyakinama in Musanze District.It attracted 36 military officials from Australia, Malawi and all East African Community (EAC) partner states apart from Tanzania.Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Charles Kayonga, yesterday awarded certificates to the trainees amid jubilations upon completion of the high level course accredited by the United Nations.Kayonga noted that the need to train military observers will remain a priority for the successful conduct of peace support missions whether on the African continent or even beyond. He said that military observers are an essential component of peace operations throughout the conflict spectrum, from diplomatic interventions to the peace building process.The army chief reminded the officers that military observers are mainly deployed to strange operating environments which are sometimes very different from usual military conventional perspective.“As you graduate today, you should therefore be conscious of your responsibility to enable the mission’s leadership to make informed decisions by providing essential inputs for the entire mission’s fulfilment,” Kayonga said.The training was supported by the Australian government through the Australian Defence Force Peace Operation Training Centre (POTC) and facilitated by instructors from Indonesia and Malaysia.Capt Flora Kwizera from Burundi said she had never been involved in a peace support operation, but the course had prepared her in terms of knowledge, skills and attitude.“My country contributes military contingents in support of peace missions under UN and AU operations and now I understand that the support from military observers is very necessary,” she said.Similarly, Captain Hope Natukunda from Uganda said that it was vital that countries share experience in security and stability operations, because peacekeeping is increasingly becoming necessary.Since 2004, Rwanda maintains peacekeepers in Sudan, South Sudan, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Haiti.This is the first time the 29-year old POTC, which has been focusing on Asia-Pacific, has ventured into Africa.

National

International military observer’s course ends