PRESIDENT Paul Kagame of Rwanda has initiated a significant restructuring of the country’s military, resulting in a series of dismissals announced on Wednesday. These changes come in the wake of the recent appointments of a new defence minister, army chief, and head of internal security.
Army spokesman Ronald Rvivanga revealed to local media that two long-serving generals, Major General Aloys Muganga and Brigadier General Francis Mutiganda, were dismissed from their positions due to ‘indiscipline.’ Rvivanga stated, ‘According to the law, this means that they have to hand over military equipment and leave the army without any benefits because of what they did,’ without providing further details.
In addition to the two generals, 14 other officers were also dismissed, along with over 200 individuals, according to a statement from the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).
On Tuesday, President Kagame announced several changes to top security posts, without specifying the reasons behind the reshuffle. He named Juvenal Marizamunda as the new defence minister, replacing Albert Murasira, who held the position since 2018.
Marizamunda, 58, previously served as the head of Rwanda’s correctional services and as a former deputy inspector general of police.
President Kagame also appointed Mubarak Muganga as the new chief of defence staff and Vincent Nyakarundi as the army chief of staff, as stated in an official statement from his office. Jean Bosco Ntibitura was named the director general in charge of internal security in the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).
Furthermore, changes were made to command roles within the Rwandan force, which has been deployed in Mozambique since 2021 to combat a jihadist insurgency.
Muganga, one of the dismissed generals, had been appointed as the commander of mechanised forces in 2019. Mutiganda, on the other hand, served as the head of external security at the NISS until October 2018 when he was called back to RDF headquarters in an unspecified role, according to local media reports.
The RDF statement confirmed, ‘He [Kagame] has also authorised the dismissal of 116 other ranks and approved the rescission of 112 other ranks,’ specifying that the changes take effect immediately.
In recent developments, the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accused the Rwandan military and the M23 rebel group of plotting an attack on the eastern Congolese city of Goma. The Tutsi-led M23 has gained control over significant territory in North Kivu province since resuming armed activities in late 2021, resulting in over one million people being displaced by the conflict.
The DRC has repeatedly accused Rwanda and its Tutsi-led government of supporting the M23, a claim supported by several Western countries and independent UN experts. However, the Rwandan government, led by President Kagame, denies these allegations.
(with AFP)
