Rwanda Defence Force in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have organised a four-day workshop on Support Relationships in Armed Conflict and Partnered Military Operations (PMO) where about twenty African countries tap into the experience acquired in countless theatres of operation and widen their collective understanding of the humanitarian stakes in partnered military operations.

On behalf of the RDF Chief of Defence Staff, the head of Peace Support Operations of Rwanda Defence Force, Brig Gen JB Ngiruwonsanga emphasized that the workshop will allow participants to share their reflections and practical examples that could inform their next course of action.

“It is proven that mounting an effective international response effort can make an enormous difference in reducing human suffering,” he said.

The ICRC Head of Operations in Rwanda and Uganda, Mr Martin Agure said that “warfare keeps evolving and there are many trends that the ICRC follows in order to understand their impact on civilians and to adapt its response accordingly. Today, wars involve a proliferation of actors working together through overlapping alliances, proxies, and support relationships. And working by, with and through partners is likely to remain a blueprint for military engagement.”

The workshop provides a platform for expert exchanges between military practitioners, humanitarians and academic experts on measures that can be taken in designing and implementing PMO to enhance protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law/the law of armed conflict, with a particular focus on the ways and means that partners have to influence each other.

Participants in the workshop include serving or retired military officers (primarily colonel/brigadier general rank), as well as civilian experts and ICRC staff.