swaziland times

BABANA – Swaziland has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation agreement with one of Africa’s powerful militaries.

It is also one of the most powerful armies in the world, it is the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF). The Rwandan Defense Force is powerful and well-equipped and can participate in combat or peacekeeping missions without the assistance of Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces. According to a statement published on the Rwandan government website, Kigali is the country with the largest number of peacekeepers in Africa and the fourth largest contributor in the world. It has nearly 6,000 soldiers and police officers participating in UN peacekeeping missions.

It is the third-largest police contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. Rwandan peacekeepers participate in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. President Paul Kagame’s country says its peacekeepers only protect civilians, maintain peace and security in CAR and run a level-two hospital. Rwanda is located in East Africa but is currently on a peacekeeping mission in Mozambique, with SADC troops having withdrawn from the country. Recently, Kigali has deployed troops independently of the United Nations and the African Union (AU).

Thembinkosi Dlamini, executive director of the Coordinating Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CANGO), said Rwanda was a democratic country that wanted to share knowledge with Swaziland on how the army, police and correctional officers observed human rights. He said the Chinese NGO coalition accepted the agreement on the condition that the Rwandan army and other security forces make it clear in exchange programs that torture in prisons and during arrest or interrogation is completely unacceptable under international law.
“The memorandum of understanding that is signed must emphasize human rights,” he said.

With regard to the military, the executive director suggested that they must adhere to the concept of “conscientious objection,” which is when an officer refuses to serve in the military based on moral or religious principles. For the police, Dlamini reminded them that Section 10 of the Police Service Act states: “Members of the police force shall at all times serve the community, protect all persons from unlawful acts and exercise the high degree of responsibility required by their occupation or profession.”

The Army reserved comment on the agreement until it was appropriate to talk about it. It must be noted that Rwanda sent 1,000 soldiers to the Central African Republic (CAR) to fight anti-government rebels in 2020. A year later, Rwanda sent soldiers to northern Mozambique to fight jihadist militants, where it currently has 2,500 troops stationed. The Southern African Development Community has sent about 2,000 soldiers from eight countries, including Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

Violent extremism

They work with the Mozambique Defense Forces (FADM) and Rwandan troops deployed there to combat terrorist acts and violent extremism.
Although the Southern African Development Community has withdrawn its troops from Mozambique, citing the current calm situation, Rwandan troops are still stationed there. On August 20, 2024, Rwanda Defense Force Army Chief of Staff Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, together with Deputy Inspector General of Police for Operations Vincent B. Sano, bid farewell to Rwandan security forces deployed to the northern province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique.

The force will disband its colleagues who have been serving there for the past year.According to reports, over the past three years, Rwandan security forces, in collaboration with the Mozambican Armed Forces, have managed to dismantle the Al Sunna Wa Jama (ASWJ) terrorist group from its stronghold defensive positions in Mocimba da Praia and Palma.
This reportedly enabled a large number of internally displaced persons to return safely to their villages. On March 5, 2024, Rwanda asked the AU not to support the southern African country’s troops deployed to fight armed groups in the restive eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Rwanda claims that SADC troops will exacerbate the conflict.In a letter to African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said his country had learned with “great concern” of a planned meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council, part of which would be to approve the deployment of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC) and assess possible support to the mission from the AU and other strategic partners.

Biruta accused the region’s armed forces of fighting alongside the DRC army and other allied armed groups, including Rwandan rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).“SAMIDRC, as an offensive force aligned with these forces, cannot replace the political process that the DRC government is obstructing. We therefore urge the African Union not to ’empower’ or fund SAMIDRC,” the statement said. The statement said that the South African International Development Research Center supports the belligerent stance of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is determined to resolve the issue through military means, which goes against the spirit of all regional peace initiatives.

As many as 4,000 Rwandan soldiers equipped with high-tech weapons are fighting designated terrorist groups in Congo. However, the Democratic Republic of Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting a rebel group called M23.Western governments, including the United States, France, Belgium and the European Union, have called on Rwanda to withdraw its troops and end its support for the M23 rebellion.It is well known that the DRC army and the M23 have been fighting for control of Goma and its surrounding areas for several years. In November 2012, the M23 briefly occupied Goma, a strategic city of about 1 million people. The M23 later withdrew from Goma after reaching an agreement with the Ugandan-brokered government.
The M23 (March 23 Movement) is one of more than 200 armed rebel groups in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. However, analysts say the M23 is the biggest threat to Congo’s sovereignty because of its alleged links to Rwanda.

Rwanda’s argument

Kigali has rejected U.S. calls to withdraw its troops and missile systems, saying the military presence in eastern Congo is to defend Rwanda from the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, an armed rebel group whose members include perpetrators of the 1994 genocide, when about a million Tutsis were killed by Hutu militias. Many of them are said to have fled to Congo to avoid justice in Rwanda.

However, it must be noted that the Rwandan government has never confirmed that its troops are stationed on Congolese territory. Meanwhile, a delegation from Swaziland visited Kigali last year before the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding witnessed by His Majesty the King and Rwandan President Paul Kagame on August 13, 2024. Army Commander Mashikilisane Fakuze and Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and National Security Prince Sikalo paid a four-day visit to Rwanda from August 16 to 18, 2023. In Rwanda, they were received by the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Mubarak Muganga, at the Rwandan Defence Forces headquarters.They also paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Rwanda, Juvénal Marizamunda, after being briefed on the transformation of the Rwandan Defense Force and regional security dynamics.

Strengthening relationships

“We are looking forward to strengthening relations. We hope to sign a memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation in the military field,” Prince Sikalo said, according to the Rwandan Ministry of Defense website. His Majesty and President Kagame have formally signed a memorandum of understanding on defence, police cooperation, correctional services and visa waivers for holders. It must be noted that the MoU signed last week also covers the Royal Swaziland Police Service (REPS) and the UK Correctional Services Service (HMCS).
The signing ceremony took place at Urugwiro village during a courtesy visit by King Nswati III to President Kagame. The Sunday Times reported that Rwanda is one of the few, if not the only, special countries in the world that has constitutional authority to participate in global peacekeeping operations and support disaster-stricken communities.
This has been reflected in the design and implementation of the Rwandan Defence Force strategy.

Following the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda was determined to contribute to maintaining peace and stability whenever needed. Kigali’s national belief is strong that a true friend and partner is someone who is there for you “in your time of need”. It was against this backdrop that the Rwandan Defence Force became the first peacekeeping force to be deployed to Darfur in 2004 and to the Central African Republic in 2014. The country, currently led by Kagame, has so far been involved in various initiatives aimed at achieving peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts. It is important to note that Rwanda’s regular peace support initiatives fall into the areas of preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, peacebuilding and peacekeeping.

It is reported that Rwanda believes that its participation in peacekeeping operations is not limited to the deployment of troops, and Kigali’s participation may also take the form of mediation, expert support or facilities.However, if the Rwandan government wants to participate in peacekeeping operations, especially UN peacekeeping operations, it must meet the necessary conditions conducive to the deployment of the national defense force. The Times on Sunday mentioned that Kigali will not participate in peacekeeping operations unless the conditions are met.
These conditions include:

• The operation should be authorized by the UN Security Council or a regional organization such as the African Union.
• The operation should have clear mandates and exit criteria.
• There should be a realistic possibility of success.
• Pre-deployment training is mandatory for combat troops, as peacekeeping is a secondary function of the defence force and requires specific capabilities and skills.

In his speech at the signing ceremony, President Kagame stressed the importance of implementing the agreement, saying: “Only in this way can we achieve tangible results on the ground.”
For his part, King Mswati III said he looked forward to the full implementation of the signed memorandum of understanding. He also expressed the Kingdom of Swaziland’s desire to establish cooperation with Rwanda in areas such as agriculture, as Rwanda is more advanced in these areas.

“Your Majesty, I thank you for joining the entire Rwandan people for the inauguration. We are very grateful for your presence. As can be seen from this visit, Rwanda and Swaziland are very good friends and we hope to maintain this relationship and even go further,” the President said. He added: “Looking to the future, we also want to strengthen our cooperative relationship. That is the purpose of the agreement signed today. Over the years, there have been many high-level visits by delegations from our two countries to Rwanda and Swaziland.”
President Kagame said this is a good foundation to build relations between the two countries. “In Rwanda, we are very eager to share our experience in the transformation of our country with partners and friends like Swaziland,” President Kagame said. On the other hand, His Majesty the King said: “It is beneficial for our country to learn from your best practices and technologies to improve productivity.”

benefit

Furthermore, the King stressed that Rwanda and Swaziland could benefit from cooperation in the tourism sector. Swaziland is a famous tourist destination due to its rich traditional culture, while Rwanda has tourist attractions such as Lake Kivu, gorilla trekking and various volcanic sites. “Both our countries are globally renowned tourist destinations. There is potential for cooperation in the tourism sector, such as creating tourist packages that will attract tourists from all over the world,” the king said.

King Nswati III also said the purpose of his visit to Rwanda is to improve business opportunities for both countries and their peoples. His delegation reportedly visited Irembo Company, the company behind the government’s one-stop service portal and the Kigali Economic Zone. President Kagame said he would visit Swaziland in the near future to reciprocate the visit.