Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) troops have joined militaries from across the East African Community in a week-long civil-military exercise in Tanzania aimed at delivering free medical services and other humanitarian support to local communities.
The sixth EAC Armed Forces Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Week, launched on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam, runs from August 26 to September 1 and brings together military personnel from Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and host country Tanzania.
Rwanda is participating with a 20-member medical contingent led by Brig Gen Dr Jean Chrysostome Kagimbana. The team has joined counterparts from the participating countries to provide specialised healthcare and other community services during the exercise.
The programme focuses on free medical services, humanitarian assistance and the renovation of selected health facilities, with activities taking place in several parts of Tanzania.
At the launch ceremony held at the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) Lugalo Golf Club in Dar es Salaam, Lt Gen SH Othman, Chief of Staff at TPDF Headquarters, said the initiative is intended to strengthen cooperation, interoperability and unity among EAC partner states.
Following the launch, participating medical teams were deployed to different locations, including Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, the Coast Region and Zanzibar.
The RDF medical team, working jointly with the TPDF, provided services at Tumbi Regional Referral Hospital in the Coast Region, where 183 patients received treatment on the first day. Services included orthopaedics, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine, paediatrics, dental care, dermatology and ophthalmology.
The exercise is part of broader EAC efforts to use military-civilian cooperation to support communities while strengthening regional integration and collaboration among partner states.
