Rwanda took over the leadership of the council from Burundi on Friday, January 31, during the 24th Council of Ministers meeting, and will head the 14-member organization for the next one year.
In his speech, Dr. Biruta thanked his predecessor for his contributions towards advancing the vision and values of EAPCCO and pledged to continue from where he left off, further strengthening regional cooperation and addressing emerging security challenges in the region.
"As the incoming chair, I am well aware of the responsibility that comes with this role. With your support and continued collaboration, we shall achieve our shared goals and ensure that our collective efforts bring about a meaningful impact in our region," Dr. Biruta said.
As leaders in the realm of security, he added, they are entrusted with the duty of creating a safe and secure environment for the people.
"This is a duty that demands we tighten our bonds and commitment to jointly confront and neutralize common security threats. Let us, therefore, recommit ourselves to strengthening regional collaboration, ensuring that we share available intelligence, and adopt best practices to tackle the challenges we face," he said.
"Our power lies in unity and cooperation, and we should work in tandem to protect and serve our people effectively," he added.
Brig Gen. Andre Ndayambaje, the Permanent Secretary in charge of Public Security in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Community Development, and Public Safety in Burundi, emphasized the need for close collaboration and intelligence sharing to address emerging security threats in the region. These threats are mainly cross-border in nature, such as terrorism, counterfeiting, financial crimes, cybercrimes, and human trafficking.
He also called for joint training, simultaneous operations, and strengthened collaboration with local communities to fight radicalization.
The 26th EAPCCO AGM was held under the theme: "Strengthening Regional Law Enforcement Cooperation to Counter Terrorism, Transnational Organized, and Emerging Crimes."
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/rwanda-s-dr-biruta-to-head-eapcco-council-of-ministers
