End of the visit of a delegation of the Rwandan General Staff in France. A very high-level delegation. In addition to the Chief of Staff, General Jean Bosco Kazura, the Head of International Military Cooperation, the Head of the Military Intelligence Service and the Head of Operations and Training were also present in Paris. Signs of relaxation between the two countries.
On Twitter, the French Foreign Ministry raises common thoughts and ambitions regarding cooperation on security and defense. It is difficult to know more about the content of the discussions between the French and Rwandan soldiers.
In any case, relations between the Rwandan and French chiefs of staff are “very good”, says a high-level military source. The two men know each other well; they had to work together when General Kazura was at the head of Minusma in Mali, this source adds.
During their meeting in Paris, the discussions between the two chiefs of staff focused mainly on stability in central Africa and Mozambique, where the emergence of the Islamic State group is worrying and where the company TotalEnergies has a gas mega project.
Kigali is present in the region, with several thousand troops stationed in South Sudan, but also in the framework of bilateral agreements in the Central African Republic – where they secured the last presidential election – and most recently in Mozambique to help fight against an Islamist uprising.
“In these two theaters, there is a convergence of strategic interests between France and Rwanda,” says a well-informed source. “Rwanda is a partner that seems to be more and more reliable,” said a high-level source. “With an effective army, Rwanda has gained real credibility thanks to its army.”
On the Rwandan side, no communication, but Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente recalled on Wednesday during a press conference that this visit by the Chief of Staff to Paris was part of a political desire for normalization shown by the two heads of state a few months ago. Now there is cooperation and exchange in different sectors “, he emphasized.
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