Rwanda and Cameroon have announced significant changes to their security forces, which will affect senior military officers.
In Rwanda, President Paul Kagame retired hundreds of soldiers at the same time as fresh soldiers were promoted inside the country’s security system. New generals have also been chosen to command army divisions throughout the country.
The Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) issued a statement stating that Kagame has approved the retirement of twelve generals, eighty-three senior commanders, and six subordinate officers. In addition, 86 senior non-commissioned officers will be retired. Approximately 678 soldiers retired after their contracts expired, with 160 more medically dismissed.
Among the retirees are prominent figures from Rwanda’s 1994 liberation struggle, including Gen. James Kabarebe, Gen. Fred Ibingira, and Lt. Gen. Charles Kayonga. Both Kabarebe and Kayonga previously served as Rwanda’s army’s chief of defense staff.
On the same day, Kagame elevated several young officers to the rank of colonel and designated new generals to lead military divisions. Other retirees encompass Lt. Gen. Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, currently Rwanda’s ambassador to Russia, and Maj. Gen. Albert Murasira, a former defense minister.
Juvenal Marizamunda was named as the new defense minister by Kagame in June, succeeding Albert Murasira, who had held the position since 2018.
In the meantime, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, announced new appointments inside the Defense Ministry’s core administrative body in a decree circulated on social media.
