Rwanda: Regional Course Against Child Recruitment in Armed Violence Kicks Off

17 February 2026
The New Times (Kigali)
By Charles Nyandwi

A one-week regional workshop and training course aimed at strengthening efforts to prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed violence is underway at the Rwanda Peace Academy (RPA) in Musanze District in the Northern Province.

The "Regional Lessons Learnt Workshop and the Regional Lead Trainers' Course" opened on Monday, February 16, at Rwanda Peace Academy in Musanze District and will run until February 20.

Jointly organised by the Ministry of Defence, the Rwanda Defence Force, the Dallaire Institute and the Rwanda Peace Academy, the workshop brings together security and civilian personnel from eight African countries.

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The training has attracted 28 participants drawn from the military, police and civilian institutions of the DR Congo, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Uganda.

Officials from the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security and the Eastern Africa Standby Force headquarters are also taking part.

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The programme was officially opened by Shelly Whitman, the Executive Director of Dallaire Institute. Maj Gen (Rtd) Ferdinand Safari, Director of the Dallaire Institute Africa Centre of Excellence for Children, Peace and Security, attended the opening ceremony. The Director of the Rwanda Peace Academy, Col (Rtd) Jill Rutaremara, was represented by Lt Col Frank Kagarama, the Academy's Head of Training.

According to organisers, the workshop aims to facilitate the exchange of experiences from similar training sessions conducted in 2025 across several African countries and African Union institutions, with the objective of improving future training delivery.

Meanwhile, the regional lead trainers' course is designed to strengthen participants' knowledge and training delivery skills, update previously trained instructors, and gather feedback on revised training materials focused on preventing the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.

Read the original article on New Times.

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