UN approves Gen. Nyanvumba

BY DANIEL R. KASULE

The United Nations Security Council has appointed Rwanda Defence Forces' Lt. Gen. Patrick Nyanvumba as overall Force Commander for the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur [UNAMID]. According to a source, Lt. Gen. Nyanvumba was selected among three candidates that were drawn from Nigeria, Ethiopia and a third country not readily identified. Nyanvumba was interviewed for the post on May 05, 2009 in New York and received notification of his approval July 16th, 2009. "This is both an honour to the RDF and the country as a whole," Maj. Jill Rutaremara, Army Spokesman told The New Times. "It's equally an honour that Gen. Nyamvumba managed to emerge top of this competitive selection process." Nyamvumba will commence work on Sept 01, 2009 for a period of one year. Prior to this, he will attend an official briefing at the UN headquarters in New York before reporting to his UNAMID station in Elfasher, Darfur.  Nyanvumba currently heads the Military High Court and is the Chief of Military Logistics (J4). "This appointment is also recognition of the positive role that RDF has played in Darfur and other peacekeeping missions elsewhere, " Rutaremara said. Nyanvumba's ascendance to the UNAMID top military position makes him the first Rwandan to head this peacekeeping force Previously, Gens. Emmanuel Karake Karenzi and Jean Bosco Kazura served as Joint Deputy Force Commanders. Currently, Rwanda has close to 3,000 forces in Darfur. The mandate of UNAMID is to support early and effective implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement, prevent the disruption of its implementation and armed attacks, and protect civilians, without prejudice to the responsibility of the Government of Sudan. Currently, over 300,000 people are thought to have died and at least two and a half million displaced from their homes in war torn Darfur region of Sudan.

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