Musanze, 15 May 2019

The three-day National Security Symposium 2019 jointly organized by Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (RDFCSC) and the University of Rwanda (UR) was officially closed today.

While officiating at the closing ceremony, Minister of Defence Maj Gen Albert Murasira said that the focus of this year's symposium, was to equip officers with high professional standards in command and control aiming to respond effectively to the challenges of the contemporary operating environment.

“We believe that this symposium provided rich texture and background to the many contemporary threats that keeps on changing. It was observed that the theme and the topics of discussion reflect the security challenges facing nation states, particularly on the African continent. The diversity of participants is a testimony to our interconnectedness in dealing with security challenges and therefore justifies the need for collective actions in finding solutions to security problems in our complex operating environment,” said Maj Gen Murasira.

Maj Yussuf Umar Gabarin, a student at RDFCSC from the Nigerian Army says that the symposium has offered students an opportunity to meet highly intellectual personalities from all over the world. “We have learnt a lot from them ranging from the dynamics of the super powers, how it relates to security and development of our African continent, Rwanda in particular. (…) Also we were opportune to know that the African development security depends on our collective responsibility as Africans,” said Maj Gabarin.

Maj Gen Jean Bosco KAZURA, Commandant of RDFCSC thanked students and participants at the symposium, adding that “the symposium convinced us that we shall only sit at the dinner table as eaters if appropriate strategies and policies are put in place to find durable solutions to challenges that hinder Africans from building required defence capabilities that will allow the continent to achieve the independence we deserve”.

The SCSC intake 07 is composed of 47 Senior Officers (Major to Lt Colonel) students from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

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