Musanze, 21 March 2025

The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, visited the Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (RDFCSC) in Nyakinama, Musanze District. He was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), Gen. MK Mubarakh. During the visit, Gen. Kainerugaba delivered a lecture to the students enrolled in the Senior Command and Staff Course.

Gen Muhoozi was welcomed by the college Commandant, Brig Gen Andrew Nyamvumba, and was given a guided tour of the college, during which he planted a tree as a symbolic gesture of environmental preservation.

In his remarks, Gen Muhoozi highlighted the strong historical military cooperation between Rwanda and Uganda, which has yielded positive results and still demonstrates a shared commitment to addressing any security challenge.

“With the combined capacity of these two strong militaries, there is no challenge that we cannot overcome if we are serious about it,” said Gen Muhoozi.

The CDF UPDF delivered a lecture titled “Strengthening Defence Cooperation as a Precursor to a Secure Africa: Mechanisms, Challenges and the Way Forward” to the Senior Command and Staff Course students from 20 different countries.

Gen Muhoozi encouraged the students to always focus on the historical missions of Pan-Africanism. He emphasized the importance of securing Africa's strategic interests, achieving prosperity for its people, and strengthening the bonds of brotherhood among all Africans. He urged them to collaborate as Africans to address their own challenges.

RDFCSC is currently the highest training institution of the RDF, and its mission is to develop the intellectual ability of the students to enable them to better understand national, regional, and global security challenges and how they impact the military operating environment.

This year, the RDF CSC hosted 108 students from Rwanda and allied countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda.

The visit ended with taking a group photo, signing the visitor's book, and exchanging gifts.