Rwanda’s Kagame unleashes terrifying military purge on a grand scale

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has initiated a significant reorganization of the country’s military, announcing a series of dismissals on Wednesday following the appointment of new officials in defense, army leadership, and internal security.

According to army spokesperson Ronald Rwivanga, Major General Aloys Muganga and Brigadier General Francis Mutiganda, both long-serving generals, were removed from their positions due to “indiscipline.” Rwivanga stated that this meant they were required by law to hand over military equipment and leave the army without any benefits, though he did not provide further details.

Additionally, the Rwanda Defence Force issued a statement revealing that 14 other officers and over 200 individuals were also dismissed.

On Tuesday, President Kagame had announced changes in various high-ranking security roles, without offering specific reasons for the reshuffling. Juvenal Marizamunda was appointed as the new defense minister, replacing Albert Murasira, who had held the position since 2018. Marizamunda, 58 years old, previously served as the head of Rwanda’s correctional services and had also been a former deputy inspector general of police.

Furthermore, Mubarak Muganga was appointed as the new chief of defense staff, while Vincent Nyakarundi assumed the position of army chief of staff, as stated in a communication from the president’s office. Jean Bosco Ntibitura was named director general responsible for internal security in the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

Changes were also made to command roles within the Rwandan force, which has been deployed in Mozambique since 2021 to combat a jihadist insurgency.

Reports from local media indicate that Muganga had been appointed as the commander of mechanized forces in 2019, while Mutiganda had been responsible for external security at the NISS until October 2018, when he was called back to RDF headquarters for an unspecified role.

The RDF statement mentioned that President Kagame had authorized the dismissal of an additional 116 lower-ranking personnel and approved the cancellation of the contracts of 112 others. These actions take immediate effect, according to the statement.

Last week, the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accused the Rwandan military and the M23 rebel group of planning an attack on the eastern Congolese city of Goma. The Tutsi-led M23 has gained control over significant areas in North Kivu province since resuming armed activities in late 2021, resulting in the displacement of over one million people due to the conflict.

The DRC has repeatedly accused Rwanda, along with its Tutsi-led government, of supporting the M23, an allegation supported by various Western nations and independent UN experts. However, Rwanda denies these accusations.