By David Himbara
The Netherlands has dispatched 150 soldiers to Rwanda to train General Paul Kagame’s mercenary army.
The Dutch soldiers will train Kagame’s mercenary army for three weeks at Gabiro Combat Training Centre in Rwanda’s Eastern Province.
Kagame’s military strategy is to sell his mercenary services to the Europeans who are determined to protect their investments in Africa without putting their own soldiers at risk.
For example, Kagame’s mercenary force is currently fighting in Mozambique to secure French energy giant Total SE’s US$20 billion liquefied natural gas investments that were overrun by rebels.
Kagame, therefore, needs to draw the Europeans closer and closer – including in training to make his mercenary army combat-ready.
To train his army and receive equipment for his soldiers, Kagame is milking the European Union via the €5 billion European Peace Facility.
The facility provides “long-term capacity building support to EU partners;” improves “the capacities of partners to address crises, prevent conflicts and cater for their own security;” and provides “military equipment for the armed forces or infrastructure for security purposes.”
Stay tuned.
