NYAKINAMA, Rwanda, Jan 9, 2009 - The U.S. military delivered books to the Rwandan Military Academy library, January 8, 2009, to help meet its need for English-printed books and military manuals.
Coordinated by U.S Africa Command, the U.S. Air Force Academy in the United States donated more then 500 books from its own library to the Rwandan Military Academy (RMA) in Nyakinama, Rwanda. The books and military manuals will increase the RMA library's selection of English resource material and will supplement its English language lab, which was built by the United States.
The book donation will benefit the RMA by helping students improve their English reading abilities and improving their technical knowledge in subjects such as leadership, military history and more.
"The mission of this academy is to provide military education, training and development for members of the Rwanda Defence Forces," said Colonel Aloys Muganga, Commandant of the Rwandan Military Academy and recent graduate of the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
The Academy conducts two16-week Peace Support Operations courses each year with classes consisting of 50 students. Since the school opened in 2001, the academy has conducted 32 military courses and graduated approximately 800 officers and non-commission officers.
The RMA conducts joint mid-career staff courses within the Rwanda Defence Forces. Since 2003, the academy has expanded its programs to include adult basic education and training, peace support operations training and research on conflict resolution to include seminars in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.
Other courses offered include logistics, training, clerical, international affairs, general command general, basic computer skills, humanitarian law, and basic peace operations, said Muganga.
The academy's faculty consists of twenty-four prior graduates, who are capable of instructing all aspects of each training course.
Additionally, U.S. Africa Command will assist in providing mentorship and resources for a new Command Staff College, which will be adopted by 2012.
Many graduates of the RMA will deploy to support Rwandan participation in the United Nations Advanced Mission in Sudan, (UNAMIS) and the United Nations-African Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
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