South Sudan, Rwanda pledge to deepen military cooperation
May 5, 2021 (KIGALI) – Military officials from South Sudan and Rwanda have agreed to strengthen military and bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The agreement was reached during a meeting between Rwanda’s Defence Minister, Maj. General Albert Murasira and South Sudan’s Defence and Veteran Affairs minister, Angelina Teny in Kigali, Rwanda on Tuesday.
Teny said the closed-door meeting between the two parties mainly focused on the implementation of the revitalized peace deal in South Sudan.
“We have senior military leaders here on training at the Rwanda Peace Academy as part of the process of the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan,” she explained.
The South Sudanese Defense minister acknowledged the East African nation’s role in supporting the implementation of the peace agreement signed in September 2018.
Under the United Nations mission, Rwanda currently maintains three battalions and one aviation unit in South Sudan. In addition, the country has also deployed 560 police officers serving as UN peacekeepers in South Sudan, including a female-dominated contingent operating in Juba.
Rwanda is the third biggest troop-contributing country in support of UN peacekeeping operations in Darfur (UNAMID), South Sudan (UNMISS) and the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
(ST)