Musanze District, 6 June 2014
President Kagame today presided over the graduation of the second intake of the Senior Command and Staff course at the Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College based in Nyakinama, Musanze District. Those who graduated also included senior officers from member states of the East African Community. President Kagame conferred to the graduands the Past Staff of the College (PSC) symbol.
In his address, President Kagame said it was good that those graduating included officers from partner states from the East African community because the destinies of the member states are closely linked:
“The knowledge and training you have acquired, prepares you to take up more challenging leadership responsibilities, for the defence of our nation and promotion of security in our region. Security threats recognise no borders, which is why we need more cooperation, not less. We have learned the hard way that security cannot be outsourced. We must take the lead, in partnership with our neighbours and allies.”
President Kagame called the attention of the officers to the attacks that were carried out late last year and early this year in Musanze by genocidaire remnantsand said as senior officers they must recognise and resist this threat, and teach the soldiers under their command how to do so as well.
“Our institutions responded to these terrorist attacks as law and duty compels them to, with thorough investigations and decisive action. As a result, many lives have been saved. Rwanda will deal with such threats in the same way, every time. That is our obligation to the citizens of this country, who entrust us with their security.”
President Kagame pointed out that the attacks are carried out by a global network, which political opportunists have latched on to, and it continues to plan and carry out attacks on Rwanda.
“Some people prefer to associate their activities with legitimate political objectives and they cannot be more wrong, and we will prove that whoever is associated with is wrong. Rwandans know who they are and what they represent and these people have no legitimacy or support whatsoever and they will not. It doesn’t matter that some try to cleanse them and turn them into legitimate people with grievances.”
President Kagame insisted that Rwandans will take care of their national security interests and they will not need lessons from elsewhere about how to take care of their national security interests.