African military attachés here for meet on conflicts

Military Attachés of at least 27 African countries accredited to the African Union are expected in the country today for a five-day study tour, with an aim of seeking a solution to conflicts, a predicament shared by a number of countries on the continent.This will be the first foreign mission to be undertaken by the recently created Military Attache’s Association (MAA), and while here, they are expected to brainstorm on conflicts in Africa as well as come up with best ways to mitigate them. In Rwanda, they will be joined by four African Military Attaches resident in Rwanda and five Rwanda Defence Forces officers.“The objective of the workshop and study tour is to gain common understanding of Africa’s conflict situation; their mitigation, resolution and post-conflict peace building and sharing such experiences with a view to enhance the ability to contribute to conflict mitigation and conflict resolution,” reads a statement by Col Jill Rutaremara, director of Rwanda Peace Academy.The statement says that the workshop and study tour will familiarise the officers with issues of peace and security in the region.The visit to Rwanda is part of the annual programme dubbed “African Tour Project” that the Association initiated last year and it’s the first of its kind to be organised by the Association. The Rwanda tour will comprise a workshop that will be held at the Rwanda Peace Academy training facility in Musanze and a field study tour that will take them to different parts of the country. The resource persons for the workshop comprise policy makers, practitioners and academics from Rwanda and abroad.One of the objectives of the association is to enhance exchange of ideas, interaction and ability to influence peace and security issues and policies affecting the African continent. Some of the key topics to be discussed include the Politics in post-genocide Rwanda, conflict and insecurity predicament in the Great Lakes Region: underlying causes and solutions, a brief on the security situation in Rwanda and Eastern DRC, good governance and development: the case study of post- genocide Rwanda, among others.The members of the Military Attaches’ Association comprise a number of Military Attachés/Advisors and Liaison Officers accredited to the AU from a number of African countries and organisations.

National

African military attachés here for meet on conflicts