Kigali – Despite continued reports alleging that Rwanda has threatened to reconsider its UN commitments � including its contribution to UN-backed peacekeeping operations, the Rwanda Defence Forces has said they have no standing order to that end.

Army and Defence Spokesperson, Lt. Col. Jill Rutaremara, pointed out that such a decision would be a political one and not the army�s.

�The army takes orders from political authorities. Such a decision is not ours to make. And, we haven�t been given that order,� said Rutaremara.

Rwanda maintains the biggest contingent on the UN-backed peacekeeping mission in Sudan�s troubled region of Darfur.

Media allegations about Rwanda�s �threat� to pull out of peacekeeping operations came last week following the leak of a UN draft report claiming that Rwandan troops were involved in mass killings in the DRC from 1994-2003.

The real question now is: given the gravity of the genocide allegations minutiously described in the UN human rights report, does the UN need to use the service of a genocidal army for peacekeeping missions? It is not up to Rwanda to threaten to pull out its troops, it should be up to the UN, without delay, to cancel any involvement of Rwandan army in any peacekeeping mission!