Defence CS Soipan Tuya has hailed the just-concluded 14th East African Community (EAC) Command Post Exercise Ushirikiano Imara 2026 as a critical platform for strengthening defence and security cooperation amid an increasingly complex global security environment.
“Among the pillars of our EAC corporation, the pillar of security and defence stands out as one of the most established and demonstrable parts of EAC corporation,” she said.
She spoke during the closure of the annual and rotational exercise at the Ulinzi Sports Complex on Friday.
“By training together, planning together and responding together, we deepened interoperability, strengthened institutional trust and reinforced solidarity necessary for the security and prosperity of our region,” said the CS.
More than 400 personnel from five federal states participated in the exercise that brings together military, police and their civilian counterparts for the joint training.
This year, their colleagues from Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) engaged as observers.
The exercise, Tuya noted, particularly helps strengthen command structures, doctrine and operational coordination, ability to respond to crises, build interoperability, harmonise operational doctrines, and foster mutual trust among EAC partner states.
“I must say it was difficult to separate the real issues from the simulation exercise. Everything seemed very real. You could actually feel the intensity of the exercise as our various members did their presentations this morning,” the CS added.
The event was attended by Rwanda’s Defence Minister Brigadier General Juvenal Marizamunda, EAC Secretary General representative Brig Gen Mathew Gureme, key state representatives of the defence ministries and forces from the region, and members of the diplomatic corps.
EAC represents a regional bloc of more than 343 million people with a combined Gross Domestic Product estimated at $353 billion.
“This is not merely an economic statistic; it is a strategic reality carrying profound geopolitical significance and immense responsibilities. Safeguarding the peace, stability and sovereignty of our region is therefore not optional,” she reiterated.
Chief of Defence Forces General Charles Kahariri noted the complex security environment that the region faces today, where threats such as terrorism, transnational organised crime, cyber threats, and humanitarian crises continue to transcend borders.
“This demands close co-operation, co-ordinated responses, and sustained regional preparedness. In this context, this exercise has once again demonstrated its strategic value,” he urged.
Kahariri further recommended that future exercises be conducted to simulate exercises on the prevention of conflict.
“In the future, let’s take it further and exercise our early warning systems, we exercise our diplomatic and other means of prevention, then we transit into a situation where the crisis has now gotten to a level that requires intervention,” the General said.
The exercise ran over the past two weeks, during which participants were presented with simulated scenarios that tested, sharpened, and harmonised their response operations.
The exercise’s Director, Major General David Nkoimo, affirmed that the exercise had indeed achieved its core mandate.
“This training has proven that the East African region is prepared to face any emerging challenges with resilience, guided by shared values and common vision,” he said, noting that the region’s strength lies in solidarity, as opposed to isolation.
A field training exercise is scheduled to follow later in the year.
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