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ICRC trains 31 soldiers in international humanitarian law

    KIGALI

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) completed a two-week course on international humanitarian law (IHL) for 31 military instructors of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), the organization reported on Thursday.

    The training was part of ongoing efforts by military authorities to fulfil their obligations under the Geneva Conventions and additional protocols to comply with humanitarian law.

    "The main purpose of the course was to give military instructors enhanced training skills in IHL so as to ensure that the RDF are fully conversant with the provisions of that law," ICRC said in a statement.

    Respect for human dignity in wartime, information about the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the principles and rules of law of armed conflict were among the topics covered during the training.

    "Since the establishment of the ICRC in Rwanda, there has been a continuous relationship with the RDF on the promotion of IHL," ICRC said, adding that the latest training was part of comprehensive efforts to fully integrate the teaching of IHL at all levels of the RDF.

    The respect of the rules of war has become more relevant since the Rwandan government enacted in November a new set of laws governing the repression of war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda claimed the lives of at least 800,000 Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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