English
Kinyarwanda
It is about friendly relations between two countries, both members of the International Conference of the Great Lakes region and of the Economic Community of Central African countries.
These relations are manifested by the significant presence of Rwandan troops in the Central African Republic. To strengthen these relations further, I appointed a consul of the Central African Republic to Rwanda a few months ago. As you know, my close protection is provided by the Rwandan troops of MISCA, which will soon become MINUSCA.
One must have a high level of trust and confidence to put their life in the hands of one army. If the relations between the two countries were not as good as they are, I would not have chosen Rwanda to be responsible for my close protection. From the time the Rwandan contingent has been by my side starting in January, I have seen that they are highly professional contingent, they are demanding when it comes to respecting security rules, they are courteous and respectful; all of which are important elements when one has to rely on a particular army to ensure their security.
Relations between Rwandan troops and the people are also good. No one has ever protested against their presence in the areas where they are deployed. I am very pleased with the discipline and especially the effectiveness of the Rwandan troops on mission in the Central African Republic.
And as you know, we are going through a very very difficult security crisis.
Since we took office, we believe that it is crucial to restore peace and security in the country.
Our priority was to restore the rule of law and get things back to order. Who can guarantee that? Law enforcement institutions: the police. The first troops that were on the ground had a very specific mission as part of the MISCA and the African Union.
I believed it was very important to strengthen the troops who are part of the peacekeeping mission with police officers, I am glad that Rwanda understood our needs and has strengthened its contingent by contributing members of the police.
This is very important as crime is on the rise in the country, and we have a lot of people who refuse to abide by basic rules of security. We really need reinforcement to focus on building the capacity of our police officers and to support them on the ground. Therefore I expect the contribution from the Rwandan police will provide support on the ground and support for our police and gendarmerie.
It’s very important to note that, between the time the United Nations decided to deploy peacekeepers (in April) and September, we have had a lot of security threats, the number of factions and armed groups has increased and various political positions are attempting to secure their place before the arrival of the peacekeepers on September 15.
This is because many of them know that, as of September 15, it will be difficult for them to undertake certain actions. So, for two weeks now, we have been seeing a resurgence of violence, banditry and robbery. People have their eyes fixed on September 15.
I am delighted that the Police contingent from Rwanda has arrived ahead of this time to get ready, prepare the ground and counteract certain acts that will occur before September 15.
I am really grateful that Rwanda anticipated these needs and is acting in a preventive way.
