Rwandan president fires senior army generals and officers

KIGALI, Rwanda

In his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda armed forces, President Paul Kagame dismissed from service Major General Aloys Muganga and Brigadier General Francis Mutiganda.

Brig. Gen. Francis Mutiganda (L) and Maj. Gen Aloys Muganga are among the officers that have been dismissed from army.

The dismissals were announced in a statement issued by RDF dated June 7.

They were dismissed along with 14 other officers from Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).

“His Excellency the President of the Republic of Rwanda and C-in-C of RDF has dismissed from RDF Maj Gen Aloys Muganga, Brig Gen Francis Mutiganda along with 14 officers. He has also authorized the dismissal of 116 other ranks and approved the rescission of service contracts of 112 other ranks. The dismissals and rescission of service contracts take immediate effect,” read the statement.

Muganga previously served as acting Chief of Staff, RDF Reserve Force, in 2018, and later in 2019, was appointed the commander of the mechanised division.

On the other hand, Mutiganda previously served as the Director General of External Security at the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) until October 2018 when he was recalled back to RDF headquarters.

According to the 2015 law on downsizing, discharge, demobilisation and dismissal in RDF, officers or troops can be dismissed due to gross misconduct.

The dismissal of the two generals came a day after Kagame made a major shakeup in the military leadership that saw the appointment of the new Minister of Defence, Juvénal Marizamunda replacing Maj Gen Albert Murasira while Lt Gen Mubarakh Muganga was appointed as the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing Gen Jean-Bosco Kazura.