Human dignity and ethical conduct must remain at the center of all peace support operations, officials stressed at the opening of a five-day course for Rwandan security and civilian officers on Monday, November 3, in Musanze. ALSO READ: Renewed call for African militaries to protect children from armed violence 27 participants from the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), Rwanda National Police (RNP), Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), and other institutions began the International Human Rights Law in Peace Support Operations course at the Rwanda Peace Academy, organized in partnership with the UN Human Rights Office in Rwanda. The training runs through November 7. ALSO READ: Rwanda hosts regional course to curb child recruitment in armed conflicts “Human rights violations committed by both state and non-state actors during armed conflict or peacetime is a real and pressing concern,” said Col (Rtd) Jill Rutaremara, Director of the Rwanda Peace Academy. “Human dignity and the respectful treatment of individuals must therefore remain at the heart of both the planning and conduct of operations.” Evaristus Ntani Ngoran, Human Rights Officer at the UN Country Office in Rwanda, reinforced that protecting human rights is both a legal obligation and a moral imperative in peacekeeping. “This course is not simply a training; it is a strategic investment in the professionalism, ethical leadership, and operational readiness of Rwanda’s security sector,” Ngoran said. “Today’s peace support operations are no longer confined to traditional battlefields.” Ngoran stressed that peacekeepers now operate in complex environments where civilians, especially women and children, face disproportionate harm, requiring coordinated, rights-based responses. ALSO READ: 24 regional military officers complete AU course The training aims to transform mindsets, not just impart knowledge, treating participants as leaders who shape institutional culture and set standards for accountability. “Our greatest strength is not in our hardware, but in our people,” Ngoran said. “A professional, principled, and accountable security sector is Rwanda’s most powerful asset in building a peaceful, just, and resilient society.” The five-day course covers application of international human rights and humanitarian law, prevention of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation, and ethical treatment of detainees in mission environments. Rwanda has earned international recognition for its peacekeeping contributions to UN missions Central African Republic (CAR), and South Sudan, as well as bilateral operations in CAR and Mozambique. As of August, Rwanda had about 5,890 personnel in UN missions, including troops, police units, making the country the second largest troop contributor of peacekeepers after Nepal, according to the UN. Officials said the country’s experience emerging from conflict gives it a unique responsibility in shaping ethical peacekeeping standards globally.
