Jump to navigation

Rwanda

Kagame unleashes new military purge

The President has given the defence force a significant clear-out with some officers dismissed for misconduct

A day after holding talks with Rwanda’s military leaders about the country’s security priorities, President Paul Kagame announced a second major purge of military officials in as many years on 30 August, this time sacking over 1,000 military personnel.

Details on the precise reasons for most of the sackings are unclear. However, Major General Martin Nzaramba, Colonel Dr Etienne Uwimana and 19 other officers have been dismissed for misconduct, with Brigadier General Ronald Rwivanga, the spokesperson for the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), telling local media that Nzaramba had been sacked for corruption and mismanagement of funds meant for the welfare of soldiers when he headed the Nasho Basic Military Training Centre.

According to a statement released by the RDF, Kagame also authorised the dismissal or early retirement of 1,162 military personnel of various ranks including General Jean Bosco Kazura, a former Chief of Defence Staff, and longtime ally of Kagame.

This is not the first time that Kagame has stamped his authority on the military with a clear-out.

In June 2023, more than 200 soldiers including several high-ranking officers were dismissed for ‘lack of discipline’, in a purge that also saw the dismissal of the Defence Minister, army Chief of Staff, and land forces Chief of Staff.

Along with its operations in eastern Congo-Kinshasa, the Rwandan armed forces have sought to position themselves as a regional security provider, led by well-funded missions in Central African Republic and Mozambique.

 



Related Articles

Richard Sezibera

Secretary General, EAC

In December, East African Community Secretary General Richard Sezibera rejected Sudan’s bid to join the regional bloc. The application failed on geographic grounds – on South Sudan’s secession...


Picking a fight

British Development Minister Clare Short's intercession in Whitehall didn't stop Rwanda and Uganda banging war drums elsewhere. As Presidents Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni were signing their London...


No room at the top

The ruling party is priming the public for a change in the law to allow President Paul Kagame a third term

The campaign is now in full swing to amend the constitution to allow President Paul Kagame to stand for a third term. Pro-government media are running opinion pieces...

READ FOR FREE

Crash goes the conspiracy

Relations between Rwanda and France have received another boost. On 11 January, French judges Nathalie Poux and Marc Trévidic cleared the ruling Front patriotique rwandais (FPR) of shooting...