The armed forces chiefs of Rwanda and the Central African Republic (CAR) have agreed to expand military cooperation.
During a meeting in Kigali on November 3, Rwanda Defense Force Chief of Defense Staff Gen Mubarakh Muganga and Gen Zéphirin Mamadou, chief of general staff of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA), discussed military training, operational collaboration and implementing existing bilateral agreements, according to New Times.
Mamadou also met Rwanda’s Defence Minister Juvenal Marizamunda and discussed reinforcing defense relations between the two countries.
The talks followed a graduation ceremony at the RDF Basic Military Training Centre in Nasho, Kirehe District, where 254 FACA officers and other ranks completed Basic Special Operations Force Training. The course focused on tactical, technical and operational skills intended to improve the troops’ effectiveness in defense and national security missions.
CAR authorities describe the program as part of a wider effort to professionalize and modernize the country’s armed forces. Rwandan instructors oversaw the intensive training, which officials say is designed to strengthen CAR’s capacity to respond to security challenges.
Rwanda and CAR have maintained security ties since 2014, when Rwanda first deployed peacekeepers under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Rwandan forces have helped protect civilians, support stability and safeguard key institutions, while Rwandan police units have carried out patrols, escorts and protection duties.
The relationship broadened in December 2020, when Rwanda deployed troops under a separate bilateral defense agreement. Those forces operate alongside, but outside the mandate of MINUSCA, providing additional support to CAR authorities.
In February 2024, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding covering policing and internal security, including cooperation against terrorism, trafficking, organised crime and the illicit spread of small arms.
