Rwanda Chief of Defence Staff Gen Jean Kazura arrived in Nairobi and paid a courtesy call on his Kenyan counterpart Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Robert Kibochi at the Defence Headquarters in Nairobi.
Gen Kazura was accorded full military honours which included inspecting a Guard of Honour mounted by the Kenya Air Force and later held a meeting with the CDF.
Present during the meeting were Vice Chief of the Defence Forces Lt Gen Francis Ogolla, Service Commanders, General Officers and a delegation of Senior Officers from Rwanda Defence Forces.
"The discussions were centered on matters of mutual interest between the two militaries, especially on cooperation and partnership in security matters," the Department of Defence said.
Gen Kazura later held bilateral talks with the Cabinet Secretary for Defence Eugene Wamalwa in his office at the Defence Headquarters.
This comes in the wake of rising tension between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over Kigali’s alleged support for the M23, a notorious rebel group.
Kinshasa claims Kigali is backing the M23 – a primarily Congolese Tutsi group – after clashes between its fighters and the Congolese army broke out last week in the North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda.
On Monday, hundreds staged an anti-Rwanda protest in Kinshasa over the tensions.
Relations have been strained since the mass arrival in the eastern DRC of Rwandan Hutus accused of slaughtering Tutsis during the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
The demonstrators held candles and shouted slogans against Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
RwandAir announced it was cancelling flights to the DRC after Congolese authorities suspended the carrier and summoned Kigali’s ambassador.
The Rwanda Defence Force later said two soldiers had been kidnapped on patrol and were being held by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, another rebel group active in eastern DRC.
The United Nations said on Friday the latest clashes had displaced 72,000 people and warned that those on the run faced constant violence and the looting of their homes.
Since May last year, Congolese security forces have run the administrations of North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province in a bid to crush the myriad rebel groups active there. By Cyrus Ombati, The Star
