Students and faculty staff of the RDF Command and Staff College returned to Rwanda after completing a week-long tour to Ethiopia and Turkey from 2nd to 9th April 2016.

The delegation in ETHIOPIA

The delegation in TURKEY

The tour participants were divided into two groups totaling 75 students and college staff from Rwanda, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The Ethiopia delegation was headed by the College Commandant, Major General John Bosco Kazura, and the one to Turkey was headed by the Chief Instructor Colonel Justus Majyambere.

This tour was designed to provide students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of the history, defense, and security establishment, geo-political environment, and socio-economic initiatives made by the host countries to ensure their national security
“The objective of the tour was to examine the countries’ progress in national transformation as well as security management,”
The group that went to Ethiopia visited the country’s Airforce headquarters, where they were briefed about the transformation of the Ethiopian Air Force. They also visited various industries including plants that manufacture automobiles and others that make military equipment and weapons.
The students also visited the Ethiopian Defence Engineering School where officers are trained in various fields including electronic, mechanical, aeronautic, and civil engineering. They went on to visit the Defence Staff College where they shared their current training programs as well as future expansion plans as far as physical infrastructure and curriculum improvement are concerned.

The group that went to Turkey began with a visit to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kamel Ataturk located in Ankara the capital city of Turkey. In Turkey’s history, the Mausoleum is an important symbol that binds the Turkish people together as a nation.

H.E. Mustafa Kamel is the greatest hero of Turkey and was honored with the title of Aturtuk which means the ‘father of the Turks’ for his bravery and exemplary leadership in the face of erstwhile adversaries during their war of independence.

The students also visited defense industries; one dealing with footwear, outerwear, and textile, and the other dealing with the manufacture of military and police garments. They also visited the Police Special Forces Training Institutions where they were briefed on the Police-Military Cooperation and inter-agency training focusing specifically on counter-terrorism.
The delegation was also briefed on Turkish foreign policy especially towards Africa by officials from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They also received briefings on how Turkey is dealing with internal and external security challenges from Army, Navy, Airforce, and Coast Guard officials during a visit to the Turkish Armed Forces Joint Headquarters.
During a visit to the Joint Forces Staff College, Joint Warfare Center, and simulation /war gaming facility located in Istanbul, the delegation learned about officer-career development with a major focus on curriculum improvement in military schools, academies, and colleges.
Both the Ethiopian and Turkish delegations took part in commemoration activities that were organized by the Rwandan embassies in those countries.

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