Lieutenant General Silas Ntigurirwa has officially been nominated AMISOM Force Commander. According to him, it is a sentiment of satisfaction and the esteem of Burundi by the African Union (AU). Interview with Lieutenant General Silas Ntigurirwa, the new AMISOM Force Commander.–By Yves Didier Irakoze
Being nominated as AMISOM Force Commander, what is your impression?
My impression is very good and positive in the way that this nomination is again a testimony that Burundi has an important place in AU particularly the Ministry of National Defense and Former Combatants. Uganda has been leading AMISOM since 2007 and now it is Burundi, what is special?
And what will be the country’s benefit?
We will always work together with Ugandans, Kenyans and other countries that provide troops in Somalia in order to achieve the noble mission that has been fixed by AMISOM. Concerning what Burundi can benefit is first of all the trust and respect it has as an important partner in AU and in the alliance of nations. Then, Burundi is now highly considered because it plays a very outstanding role in the process of peace keeping in Somalia.
Ugandan and Kenyan journalists sometimes come to Somalia to witness and report what is happening. As a new Commander, will Burundian journalists get the opportunity to have access to the battlefield for the sake of exact information?
I think yes, they will take part in Somalia. First, it’s not only to inform local people but also the world what is happening in Somalia and what AMISOM is doing. To achieve this, there is a workshop on communication that is taking place at Muramvya. The army is training journalists through our Security Sector Reform program. This will help the Media to tackle how to gather information from the source in order to inform the regional and international community.
What is your immediate future aspiration?
I wish to see the region living in peace and stability; all African children should live peacefully in a quiet continent.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lieutenant General Silas Ntigurirwa was born in Cibitoke Province on December 12, 1968. Concerning his education, he is a graduate in Law Department in the Faculty of Business and Professional Sciences (“Licence” Degree) in the academic year 2008-2011. From 2000-2012, he got a lot of opportunities to be trained in various fields in different countries where he received several certificates. The new AMISOM Commander is an expert in Demobilization, Reintegration and Security Sector Reform. From June 2012 up to now, he was a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Defense and Former Combatants. It is worth mentioning that before that period he occupied a lot of important posts in the same Ministry. Lieutenant General Silas Ntigurirwa has got much experience in defense, security, civil protection, peace keeping process, peace consolidation, conflicts resolution, ceasefire and peace negotiations, army integration, management of army human resources, etc. He was appointed because of his experience and various skills and aptitudes. It is worth pointing out that he is fluent in French, English as well as Swahili.
IWACU Open Data
