The Rwanda Peace Academy (RPA) has trained twenty four military, police and civilian personnel from Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) member states namely: Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda on Early Recovery Stabilisation and Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC).
The later attended the Early Recovery Stabilisation and CIMIC course at RPA training facility in Nyakinama, Musanze District from 3rd July 2017 up to 14 July 2017 and the course was conducted in partnership between the RPA and the British Peace Support Team Eastern Africa (BPST-EA).
The objective of the course was to give participants knowledge, and understanding of the conduct of CIMIC operations, to support stabilisation activity in regional African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) Peace Support Operation (PSO).
At the closing ceremony of the course on Friday at RPA in Nyakinama, the Director of the RPA, Col Jill Rutaremara, said Early Recovery stabilization in Peace Support Operations is a prerequisite for achieving, a desired political end state and consequently attaining sustainable peace adding that Stabilisation, however, cannot be attained without effective civil military cooperation.
“This course is therefore very important because it has equipped you with knowledge and understanding of the conduct of CIMIC, operations in support of early recovery stabilization in regional and international peace support operations,” Col Rutaremara told course participants.
“You are now better informed about your roles and responsibilities, and those of other stakeholders. I am confident that the knowledge you have gained will also guide you in building relations with the communities where you may be deployed,” he further told course participants.
“Effective civil military cooperation can only be realized if peacekeepers observe and uphold human rights. Peacekeepers must therefore demonstrate the highest standards of ethical and professional behavior,” Col Rutaremara said adding that a clear understanding of issues such as sex and Gender Based Violence, Law of Armed Conflict, and the UN Code of Conduct is crucial in the conduct disciplined operations.
“The techniques and information that you have learnt on this course will allow, you to support your commander in using this to the best advantage,” David Higgins, the Course Director also the Stabilization Advisor at the British Peace Support Training Team, told course participants.
“Learning about stabilization further allows you to adopt this idea of an integrated approach, at a higher level using all of the levers of power at mission and national level to identify the drivers of conflict and to solve the roots of the problem,” Higgins further told course participants.
Major Charles Muhozi a Rwandan participant said meeting with other personnel from the region in the course, they tried to share knowledge on how civilian and military personnel, can work together and restore peace and security in places that might be insecure.
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The Director of the RPA, Col Jill Rutaremara, at the closing ceremony of the course on Friday at RPA in Nyakinama (Photo/Courtesy)
