Mali’s Army Chief returned to Rwanda on Thursday after a three-day visit to strengthen bilateral defense ties.
General Oumar Diarra of Mali wrapped up a three-day tour to Rwanda on Thursday. Gen Jean Bosco Kazura, the Chief of the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces, was available to receive him at the Rwanda Defense Forces Headquarters in Kigali.
“If bilateral defense collaboration was on the agenda, the discussion between the two men tackled different aspects of cooperation in human resource development, military training and welfare”, a statement by the Rwanda Ministry of Defence read.
General Oumar Diarra met with President Paul Kagame and the Minister of Defense during his official visit for the sealing of the ties.
The aim of the ties, according to Mali’s army leader, was to “share knowledge and expertise on capacity building” between the Rwanda Defence Force and the Malian Armed Forces.
Indeed, a militant insurgency in the Sahelian nation threatens to destabilize the entire country.
Rwanda has committed roughly 1,000 soldiers to support regional attempts to quell an islamist insurgency in the Cabo Delgado area.
Last June, Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community dispatched troops, and the deployment was extended in January 2022.