Rwanda to host regional field exercises

As Rwanda and Tanzania meet to strengthen bilateral military cooperation, The New Times has learnt that Rwanda plans to host regional field exercises. This came out yesterday as Gen. Davis Mwamunyange, the Chief of Defence Forces of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF), continued his week-long official visit. Accompanied by his counterpart, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Rwanda Defence Forces, Lt. Gen Charles Kayonga, Gen. Mwamunyange visited the Ministry of Defence headquarters yesterday where he paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Defence, James Kabarebe. The RDF spokesperson, Col. Joseph Nzabamwita said: “We [Rwanda] are planning an East African Community Command Post Exercise that is going to be held here within two months.” “And we are also planning another military exercise that brings together Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya and the United States of America that will be taking place in Zanzibar.” “These Command Post exercises are followed by field exercises which shall be carried out in 2012 in Rwanda. We shall be having over five battalions from the EAC then,” the spokesperson said. Gen. Mwamunyange and his team of five senior TPDF officers also paid a courtesy call on President Paul Kagame on Sunday. “National defence and security is bedrock to this. We are now going into general briefings in the Ministry of Defence. The two Chiefs of Defence Forces are going to receive detailed military briefings on the general security situation and the status of military cooperation,” Col. Nzabamwita told reporters prior to yesterday’s closed door meetings at the Ministry of Defence. The Tanzanian delegation will also visit various military installations, including Nyakinama and Gako, before they return home on Friday. Ends