Rwanda President Paul Kagame has called on the country's army to provide security guarantee and protect territorial integrity for building well-off society.

He made the remarks on Thursday while presiding over the pass-out ceremony 478 Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) officer cadets who successfully completed a one-year military training course at the Rwanda Military Academy (RMA) in Gako, Bugesera district, Eastern Province.

Among the new cadet officers, 68 are women.

Kagame underscored the need to engage the sense of responsibility of security organs as a whole to participate in building and strengthening national defense.

"Protecting our sovereignty means working for the development of every Rwandan and ensuring that no one is left behind. True sovereignty means the well being and dignity of our citizens," said the president.

"It is your responsibility to protect the sovereignty of our country but most importantly, our citizens."

Senior government officials, military and families of the cadets attended the ceremony where advanced military skills were displayed by the graduates.

The Rwanda Defense Forces's history of heroism is especially enriched by the act of stopping the 1994 genocide in Rwanda among other things that have helped towards the transformation of Rwanda into a stable state. 

Source: Xinhua