Military: a professional career In Rwanda.
The army in Rwanda is one of the life changing institutions
for many Rwandans from different backgrounds. It’s not a place where someone
goes after losing hope, it’s a place where different professionals meet to
contribute to the development of Rwanda. The Rwanda Defence Forces has Schools
and Academies. RDF Command and Staff College, Rwanda Military Academy Gako,
Combat Training Center Gabiro and Rwanda Peace Academy. With the support of
University of Rwanda these schools prepare an intellectual and physical ready
soldier.
In his message to the new RDF cadet officers, the
Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), he stated that "The
profession you have chosen is not solely about combat or inciting conflicts, as
some may perceive. Wars are waged with a justified cause. In Rwanda, we
consider engaging in conflict when our freedom and sovereignty are threatened.
Many who perished in our tragic history were not part of the military. He
mentioned that to dispel any apprehensions about joining this professional
career. He added that it is a noble calling that safeguards you, your nation,
and all Rwandans".[1] The military in Rwanda is turning into a more
professional career and it is attracting different young man and women with
different skills.
According to the CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA
Article 160: paragraph (1) on Rwanda Defence Force, National defence is the
responsibility of a professional national military force known as the “Rwanda
Defence Forces”.[2]
This reflects the first paragraph of the preamble of our constitution and shows that
We, the People of Rwanda; we HONOUR our valiant ancestors who selflessly
sacrificed their lives to found Rwanda and the heroes who struggled for
security, justice, freedom, and restoration of our Nation’s tranquility,
dignity and pride.[3] This shows how we Rwandans value our security,
freedom, dignity pride, and on top of that we honour our ancestors and heroes.
Our army to be professional is a way to keep and safeguard our values as
Rwandans.
According to section 2 subsection 1 of the Presidential Order Nº 044/01 du 14/02/2020 establishing
special statute governing Rwanda Defence Forces, article 71, stipulates
that Military courses aim to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of an active
soldier or reservist to effectively discharge his or her military duties.
Military courses may be organised by the Government of Rwanda, another State or
a foreign institution in accordance with an agreement between the two parties.
Military courses are approved by the Minister upon proposal by the Chief of
Defence Staff. Article 72 talks about the formal education, it stipulates that,
Formal education aims to strengthen both institutional and individual
capabilities. The Minister determines modalities for pursuing formal education
is pursued. Article 73 talks about Rights of soldiers undergoing courses, it
stipulates that, a soldier while attending a course
maintains his or her rights to salary, promotion in higher rank and seniority.[4]
The Rwandan military is designed to equip and prepare a soldier to solve
different problems using mental and physical capacity. The motivating fact is
that while a soldier is attending a course maintains his or her rights to
salary, promotion in higher rank and seniority. This indicates how our military
is more professional as the commander in chief highlighted it.
The organization of the Rwanda Defence Forces is based on
hierarchy which defines everybody’s position and level of responsibility
depending on seniority in rank and appointment. The rank determines one’s
capability to hold a certain appointment or do a certain work and capability to
assume responsibilities or exercise authority attached to the appointment one
holds or the work one does. A holder of a higher rank has a duty to ensure the
general rules of discipline are respected by all military personnel subordinate
to him irrespective whether they are under his/her authority or not.[5]
Command shall be exercised by virtue of Orders emanating from the responsible authority
for the execution of a mission. Any military authority holding an appointment is
vested with the authority and responsibility attached to that appointment. Any
military authority in acting capacity is vested with the authority and
responsibility attached to that appointment.[6]
Order and discipline are the key ingredients in the army. Rwanda Defense Forces
as a disciplined army it is obvious for it to have hierarchy which defines
everybody’s position and level of responsibility depending on seniority in rank
and appointment.
Rwanda is believed to have emerged around the tenth or
eleventh century under King Gihanga, the founder of the prosperous and
sovereign nation. Initially, military structures played more of a social role,
with their main concern being the preservation of the means of subsistence,
other than securing territorial influence. King Gihanga's military formations,
for instance, were meant for the security of his family and his economic
assets. It is also the military that led the way in reuniting a shattered people
and the country to becoming a democratic state of reputable international
standing. Borrowing from the Ingabo z'u Rwanda of old, the RDF today not only
ensures security for all, but provides a model of national unity and
integration that continues to inform Rwanda's socio-political and economic
development.[7] Command
shall be exercised by virtue of Orders emanating from the responsible authority
for the execution of a mission. Any military authority holding an appointment is
vested with the authority and responsibilityattached to that appointment. Any
military authority in acting capacity is vested with the authority and
responsibility attached to that appointment.
After gaining independence, the army was one of the
institutions to be built by the independent Rwanda. Sadly, the divisionism taken
from the colonial legacy also affected the army. Discrimination in the Rwandan Army on the
basis of regional and ethnic was widespread in the Rwandan society (1962-1989).
The admission to the Rwandan military career followed an ethnic belonging
(filiation). Hutu from the northern Rwanda were more favored, because after the
“1959 crisis”, the first republic found that to be a Hutu was of a great value.
In order to protect the results of the “1959 revolution” the Kayibanda regime
favored people from the northern considering them as true Bahutu (not hybrid)
capable of protecting the revolution. Rwandan military used the “pignet system”
to eliminate some individuals. It was a system that scrutinized people basing
on physical tests. Although Tutsi were allowed to join the military, it was
very hard for them to be admitted. Military officers would do whatever they
could to fail them. Batutsi were excluded from the army. Some Tutsi changed
their ethnic group on their Identity cards to be admitted the military schools.[8]
The “pignet” system at times was an opportunity to exclude
those who were not needed. And the response was that they did not fulfill
requirements. Another explanation to that northern influence in the Rwandan
Army was that Rwandans from the Central and the south occupied the important
administrative positions. During the first Republic, these most important
positions were given to people from Gitarama province because President
Kayibanda was from that region. So, people from the north were worried.
Consequently, they found refuge in the army, where they became very important. The
northern influence in the army began at the appointment of the new chief of
staff. Consequently, young people from the south and the central Rwanda chose
to pursue their studies at the National University of Rwanda to have important
positions in government administration while young Hutu from the north chose to
join their cousins in the army. When President Habyarimana took power in 1973,
he held all the duties of the Minister of Defense, Chief of staff and also
dominated intelligence services from the top to the bottom. The command of the
military forces belonged only to people from Gisenyi, Ruhengeri, and Byumba and
particularly in Bushiru-the native region of President Habyarimana. These
positions could not be given to Batutsi or Bahutu from the central. The
promotion in the army and the appointment to important positions in the
military hierarchy followed either regional criteria or affinity. It should be
noticed that all regions of the country were trying to send their people to the
military school (Ecole Supérieure Militaire) in Kigali, but all regions were
not well represented. The discrimination according to regions and ethnic group
in the military was quite eminent. The marriage between different ethnic groups
was also a problem in the Rwandan army. It was forbidden for a member of the
army to marry “A muTutsikazi”. Those who did so lost their ranks and other
advantages.[9]
For any institution to develop and have ana image of a professional career, any
sort of divisionism, segregation can’t help to form a professional institution.
From this disturbing history, Rwanda Patriotic army which was renamed Rwanda
defence Force as the current Rwandan military, it learnt lessons from history
both positive and negative to make a professional army we see today.
Another disturbing reality is the former Rwandan Armed Forces' central role in preparation of 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It was an unprofessional army due to its role in the genocide against the Tutsi, the civilians they were supposed to protect. During the night of October 4 to 5, 1990, the Rwandan army staged a fake attack by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in the capital, Kigali. The genocidal army fired automatic weapons throughout the night at the nearby Rwandan military camp to create a pretext for mass arrests, which targeted over 10,000 Tutsi across the country.[10] Not surprising how they were defeated by the Rwanda Patriotic Army, they lost their core assignment ‘’to protect the people’’. Most of the Tutsi were taken to military and gendarmerie camps where they endured torture and inhumane, degrading treatment designed to force them to confess to crimes they did not commit.
Although Rwandan law prohibited military personnel from participating
in political activities, the mobilization to commit the genocide was prevalent
within the Rwandan army. The genocide was designed by a clique of extremist
military personnel from Gisenyi and Ruhengeri, including senior officers such
as: Colonels Théoneste Bagosora, Anatole Nsengiyumva, Elie Sagatwa, Aloys
Ntiwiragabo, and Tharcisse Renzaho. Others are Lt Col Dr. Laurent Baransalitse
and Nubaha Laurent; Majors Aloys Ntabakuze and Protais Mpiranya, and Lt Col
Léonard Nkundiye, among others. This clique of extremist officers spread the
ideology of genocide among the military, warning them against having relations
with the Tutsi. Without any distinction, the officers attributed all of
Rwanda’s problems to the Tutsi; thereby persecuting them and depriving them of
their fundamental rights. UNAMIR reports indicated the intention of a group of
criminals close to the government to exterminate the Tutsi and kill the most
influential members of the opposition. Massacres of Tutsi happened at the time
in several regions of the country. Soldiers, Interahamwe militias of the MRND,
and Impuzamugambi militias of the CDR carried them out.[11]
RPF through RPA restored the values and dignity of Rwandans and made the army a
trusted institution and a reflection of patriotism. The liberation war and its
success of stopping the genocide against the Tutsi, marked the end of the
unprofessional army and the born of a new and professional army.
The Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) was previously a liberation
force known as the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA). The Law No 19/2002 of
17/05/2002 renamed the RPA as the Rwanda Defence Force.[12]
The Rwanda Patriotic Army was therefore founded to serve as
the instrument the Rwanda Patriotic Front would use to pursue and achieve its
aim of liberating Rwanda from the extremist elements who, for over 3 decades,
had run it as an ethnocracy in which a significant part of the population
suffered systematic marginalization and exclusion. On 01 October 1990, the RPA
attacked Rwanda from Uganda. The liberation struggle would last 4 years,
characterised by serious setbacks, the most significant of which was the death
on the second day of the invasion, of the RPA’s commander-in-chief,
Major-General Fred Rwigema and, soon thereafter, of other senior commanders. A
collapse in morale and lack of effective leadership nearly sank the RPA and
with it, the RPF’s ambitions. Under the able leadership of the then Major Paul
Kagame who succeeded Late Maj Gen Rwigema, the force was able to recover and
fight on. Even then, it still had to contend with challenges such as the
intervention on the government’s side by powerful external actors such as
France, and regional ally, Zaire, who provided significant assistance,
including combat support. The RPF took an early decision that it was neccessary
for efforts to be dedicated to making Rwanda secure and stable after the war.
The efforts included the reintegration of combatants from the Ex-FAR into the
RPA which was destined to become the new national army. After the insurgency
broke out and other forces emerged, it became the policy of the government to
also integrate into the army their fighters who surrendered or who were captured,
if they so wished. Thousands were integrated, while others who wished to return
to civilian life were also assisted to re-settle successfully back into their
communities. Integration of fighting forces played important roles. The offer
to former enemy combatants to serve in the new army ruled out their resort or
return to insurgent activities or other forms of criminality. For the fighters,
serving alongside former adversaries against whom they had fought a bitter war
and of whom they were suspicious, opened up avenues for getting to know each
other, developing mutual trust and understanding and ultimately common aspirations
for their country. The most important political benefit of integration is that it
has served as a basis for rebuilding the social fabric of Rwanda which had been
torn to shreds by the genocide and helped in the shaping and building of a new
society in which there is no place for exclusion and marginalization of any
section of the population.[13]
Speaking of the Rwanda Defence Forces as a professional army,
it doesn’t lose a chance to participate in the social development of the
Rwandan people. As with any other army, the primary responsibility of the
Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) is to defend the territorial integrity of Rwanda and
to safeguard its national sovereignty. However, the constitution of the
Republic of Rwanda assigns RDF a secondary role, to support the development
aspirations of the country and actively to participate in ensuring human
security and Rwanda’s socio-economic development. Underlying the assignment of
RDF, this secondary role is the idea that the Force’s primary constitutional
mandate of defending the country’s territorial integrity and safeguarding its
sovereignty would become much more challenging in a context of widespread
poverty and deprivation. Poverty that stems from lack of opportunities for
self-fulfilment is a major driver of recruitment of especially young men into
insurgents and other violent or criminal groups. It is against this background
that since 2009 RDF has been formally involved in a wide range of activities in
support of the government’s socioeconomic development efforts through the RDF
Citizen Outreach Program (COP). Its activities straddle two categories. Some
are income-generating and job-creating and form part of Rwanda’s private sector
landscape. Others are part of its much-acclaimed COP activities designed as
direct responses to challenges faced by ordinary citizens. Overall, they
straddle several domains.[14]
Additionally; Beyond protecting national integrity and sovereignty, RDF has
been walking with Rwandans along the development journey implementing a number
of development projects across the country through strong collaboration with
different institutions. Some of most recent projects include infrastructures
built across the country ranging from health centers, schools, bridges, roads
and providing decent shelters for vulnerable residents completed at over Rwf75
billion in the fiscal year 2020/21, as per figures from the Ministry of Defense
(MoD). During implementation of these projects to advance national development
and uplift citizens’ wellbeing, RDF partnered with different Government
institutions including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry
of Infrastructure, Ministry of ICT, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of
Agriculture and Rwanda Environment Management Authority among others. In 2020/21 fiscal year, RDF also
built two health centers in Karongi and Rusizi districts completed at a cost of
Rwf715, 534,598. Three more health posts worth Rwf232, 612,287 were also
constructed in the districts of Gicumbi, Gasabo and Gakenke in the same year.[15]
As we say a healthy nation a wealthy nation; Rwanda Defence
Forces also understood this philosophy. After giving people security and
development they never forget the health of the people they protect. An example
is one of the 2017 Army Week Outreach activitieswas healthcare. The RDF medical
personnel together with other stakeholders focused on providing free and
specialised treatment countrywide in ophthalmology (eye treatment), Ear Nose and
Throat (ENT) treatment, dental care, general surgery, gynaecology, orthopedic surgery,
oral and maxillo facial surgery. The medics also carried out voluntary testing
for HIV/ AIDS and male[16]
circumcision. These specialized consultations and medical operations were done
close to patients home excluding issues of transportation, accommodation and
other prolonged medical consultation procedures. This has contributed
enormously to providing quality health services that are acceptable and
accessible to the majority of people. The total number of patients treated were
114,354; while the number of medical operations done 1391. The army week healthcare
activities saved 966,785,000 Frw.[17]
The other thing worth mentioning in terms of health contribution
is the Rwanda military hospital. Rwanda military hospital work in a multidisciplinary
environment where they receive and refer both Military and Civilian patients
where necessary from and to different Specialists such as, Orthopedic Surgery,
General Surgery, Neurosurgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Internal Medicine,
Pediatrics, Dermatology etc…[18]
I grew up seeing the soldiers around. Growing up in a city
near a border and later living and studying near a military barracks, being a
soldier was one of the options of careers to follow. People are inspired by
what they see around. I’ve seen a professional army with discipline as their
identity. I was taught by military
personnel, I studied with military personnels, I have been treated by military
personnel. But most importantly I’ve seen people with humanity. In our society soldiers are in day-to-day life
of Rwandans. Their professionalism gives us hope of a better and brighter
future of a safe and prosperous country.
[1] https://www.mod.gov.rw/news-detail/he-president-paul-kagame-commissions-624-new-rdf-cadet-officers
[2] Official Gazette n° Special of 04/08/2023, CONSTITUTION
OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA Article 160
[3] PREAMBLE
OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA
[4] Official
Gazette no. Special of 18/02/2020, Presidential Order Nº 044/01 du 14/02/2020
establishing special statute governing Rwanda Defence Force, Article
71,72,73.
[5]
MINISTERIAL ORDER Nº01/Minadef/2012 OF 10/09/2012 ESTABLISHING THE DISCIPLINARY
CODE IN THE RWANDA DEFENCE FORCES AND DETERMINING THE ORGANIZATION, FUNCTIONING
AND POWERS OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEES Article 4
[6]
MINISTERIAL ORDER Nº01/Minadef/2012 OF 10/09/2012 ESTABLISHING THE DISCIPLINARY
CODE IN THE RWANDA DEFENCE FORCES AND DETERMINING THE ORGANIZATION, FUNCTIONING
AND POWERS OF THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEES Article 5
[8]
THE T E ACHING OF HISTORY OF RWANDA A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH A Resource Book
for Teachers
For Secondary Schools in Rwanda Lesson II:
Discrimination in the Rwandan Army
(1962-1989) Page, 180
[9]
Idem
[10] https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/14962/news/crime/the-former-rwandan-armed-forces-central-role-in-preparation-of-1994-genocide-against-the-tutsi
[11]
Idem
[12] https://www.mod.gov.rw/rdf/overview#:~:text=The%20Rwanda%20Defence%20Force%20(RDF,helm%20of%20the%20Defence%20Force.
[13] https://www.mod.gov.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/Mod/Publications/Publications/LIBERATION_DAY_BOOK_fresh_start_21X26_kinyaENG_finalised.pdf
[14] https://www.mod.gov.rw/activities?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=9653&cHash=1cd0db386829b798e0d03c7156ba92df
[15] https://en.igihe.com/news/article/a-glance-at-rdf-s-contribution-to-national-development-in-2020-21
[16] https://www.mod.gov.rw/index.php?eID=dumpFile&t=f&f=24396&token=79f3e135b060abc5dd510577c7168f4825d51abc
[17]
Idem
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