RDF in Peacekeeping

Rwanda is among the few if not the only peculiar country in the world that is mandated by the constitution to take part in peacekeeping around the world and in support of affected communities.

This is enshrined in the design and implementation of RDF’s strategy as constantly stressed by the Commander-in-Chief (C-In-C) in his addresses to the RDF and also to the public .

Informed by the tragic history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and motivated by a strong national belief that real friends and partners are the ones by your side in times of need, Rwanda resolved to contribute to peace-keeping and stability whenever required.

It was against this background that the RDF was the first peace-keeping contingent to deploy in Darfur in 2004 and the Central Africa Republic in 2014.

Rwanda’s participation in Peace Support Operations is mainly motivated by the need to take its international responsibility as an active member of the international community. Rwanda Government has so far participated in different initiatives designed to bring about peaceful settlement of disputes and resolution of conflicts. These Peace support initiatives fall in areas of:

• Preventive diplomacy.

• Peace-making.

• Peace-building.

• Peace-keeping.

As a matter of policy, Rwanda considers her involvement in peace support operations not limited to the deployment of troops. The involvement could also take the form of providing good offices, specialist support or facilities.

However, for the government of Rwanda to participate in peace support operations especially peacekeeping, there must be requisite conditions favouring deployment of the Defence Force. They include:

• The operation should be authorised by the UN Security Council or Regional Organisations like the African Union.

• The operation should have a clear mandate and exit criteria.

• There should be realistic possibility of success.

• Participating troops must undertake pre-deployment training since peacekeeping is a secondary function to the Defence Force and requires specific competences and skill sets.

To guarantee effectiveness of its military contribution in a Peacekeeping effort, the government via the MOD ensures that acquisition and maintenance of military equipment takes into account the peculiar requirements of peace support operations. Furthermore, relevant departments in the MoD and the RDF are developing sets of doctrines, operational procedures and training programmes in co-operation with foreign partners.