Rwandan president sacks army generals, over 200 soldiers

KIGALI, Rwanda

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has sacked more than 200 soldiers, including senior army officers, the military said Wednesday, days after a major reshuffle in top security brass.

The commander in chief has “dismissed from the RDF (Rwanda Defense Force) Maj. Gen. Aloys Muganga, Brig. Gen. Francis Mutiganda along with 14 officers,” a military statement said.

Muganga served as commander of the army's mechanized division while Mutiganda served as head of external security in the National Intelligence and Security Services before he was redeployed in 2018 at the army headquarters.

Another 228 soldiers of other ranks were fired, according to the statement.

No reasons were given for the sacking. But, according to the law, officers or troops can be dismissed from the Rwandan army due “to gross misconduct.”

The move came a day after Kagame sacked his defense minister as well as army chief at the same time.

Juvenal Marizamunda was appointed the new defense minister, replacing Maj. Gen. Albert Murasira while Lt. Gen. Mubarak Muganga, formerly army chief of staff, was named the new chief of defense staff of the Rwanda Defense Force. Muganga replaced Gen. Jean Bosco Kazura who had served in the position since November 2019.

In other appointments on Tuesday Maj. Gen. Vincent Nyakarundi was appointed army chief of staff, replacing Muganga, while Maj. Gen. Alex Kagame was named the Joint Taskforce commander in Mozambique, where Rwandan troops have been deployed since 2021.