The police chiefs of Rwanda and the Central African Republic have embarked on a journey towards building a stronger bond between their nations.
It comes after the Director General for Central African Republican Gendarmerie, Landry Urlich Depot, paid a courtesy call on Rwanda’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Felix Namuhoranye, at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) on Monday, October 9.
Discussions between IGP Namuhoranye and Gen. Landry focused on strengthening the existing cooperation in various law enforcement disciplines, according to the Rwanda National Police.
They discussed challenges faced in maintaining peace and security amidst the complexities of their respective regions, recognising that by working together, they could achieve even greater outcomes.
Throughout their discussions, a genuine friendship formed between the police chiefs. Their commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of their people became the driving force behind their partnership. They envisioned a future where their collaboration would extend beyond borders, creating a network of African nations working together to address common challenges.
Gen. Landry thanked the Government of Rwanda for its continued support in building the capacity of law enforcement and security agencies in CAR.
“As a country coming out of conflicts, we are happy that Rwanda is facilitating us to build the capacity of our security institutions, including Gendarmerie and the police, to be able to handle the emerging security threats,” Gen. Depot said.
The Director General for Central African Republican Gendarmerie, Landry Urlich Depot
United by their shared vision, the police chiefs left the meeting with a renewed sense of purpose. They pledged to continue this journey of deeper cooperation, understanding that by pooling their resources, expertise, and passion, they could create a safer and more harmonious region for all.
Rwanda National Police and CAR Police formalised bilateral relations with a memorandum of understanding signed in February last year to exchange training and other best programmes and enhance professional competence.
The cooperation agreement also provides an arrangement for the two law enforcement institutions to jointly fight transnational organised crime and terrorism, human and drug trafficking, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, information sharing, and joint operations, among others.
Rwanda maintains over 700 police peacekeepers under the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in CAR (MINUSCA), including four contingents and 70 police advisors.
The MINUSCA Police component is also headed by a Rwandan, Commissioner of Police CP Christophe Bizimungu.
Law enforcement officers from CAR have also attended various professional and academic training programmes in Rwanda, including the Police Senior Command and Staff Course (PSCSC) offered at the National Police College (NPC) in Musanze District.
