Rwanda’s Army has announced massive promotion in its military ranks in the wake of alleged rising security threats from neighbours, Burundi and DR Congo.
The promotions in the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) also comes at a time when the Kigali government relations with Tanzania and Uganda are cold. Kigali continues to finger point towards Uganda with numerous accusations that Uganda denies.
Those promoted include the Chief of Staff in the Reserve Forces, Lt Gen, Fred Ibingira who has now been promoted to a full General.
This new rank makes Ibingira who has served in the army for the last 27 years, Rwanda’s fourth highest ranking officer. Gen Fred Ibingira has held various military appointments and served in various other commanding positions including First Division Commander 1Div, Vice President for the Court Martial and to his current role as Reserve Force Chief of Staff.
In other promotions, Major General Musemakweri Jaques, the current Chief of Staff for the Land Forces has also been made Lieutenant General.
The promotions effected by President Paul Kagame who is the Commander-in-chief of the armed forces, were revealed through a communiqué signed by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) Spokesperson.
A total of 12 officers have been promoted from Brigadier to Major General, six officers elevated from Colonel to Brigadier while fourteen others have now attained the rank of Colonel from Lieutenant Colonel.
Sixty eight (68) officers that were previously at the rank of Major have been elevated to Lieutenant Colonel and seventy nine (79) from Captain to Major. Over 400 officers are now full Lieutenants from the rank of Second Lieutenant.
An unspecified number of Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) were also promoted.
The changes in the military hierarchy come at the time when Rwanda is faced with a threat of instability from, according to Rwanda, neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Rwanda has mostly recently raised fears over a possible regrouping of the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), a rebel said to harbour plans to destabilize the country.
Kigali recently wrote a protest note to the Ugandan government in regard to the simmering relations including what they call deportation of their nationals without the consent of the embassy in Kampala. Rwanda also accuses Uganda of facilitating the movement of RNC to DR Congo. Ugandan officials rejected the allegations saying the deported Rwandan nationals were officially handed over to Kigali through known mechanisms for security reasons. Uganda has in the recent past prosecuted Senior Police Officials and a Rwandan, Rene Rutangungira for kidnap of Rwandan refugees including former President Kagame’s guard Mutabazi and illegally repatriating them to Rwanda.
Diplomatic relations with Tanzania and Rwanda have been cold, since former Tanzania’s president Jakaya Kikwete suggested that Rwanda’s government holds peace talks with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a rebel group composed mostly by genocide perpetrators, so as to end violence in the eastern DRC.
This friction was escalated after Tanzania accused Rwanda of backing former M23 rebels in eastern DRC.
The latest promotions of various army officers could be viewed as an attempt to beef up Rwanda’s security structure, in the face of what President Paul Kagame recently termed as a “threat” posed by regional dynamics.
In his address to the army at the end of 2017, President Kagame said that just like the previous year, 2018 was not going to be less challenging.
In the light of regional and global dynamics that pose security threats, Kagame called for renewed focus and vigilance.
He further asked them “to recommit yourselves, individually and collectively”, and “to continuously build on past achievements, aiming for the highest possible standards in the performance of your service to the peoples of Rwandans”.
