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Combined military forces of Rwanda

The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF, , , ) is the military of the Republic of Rwanda. The country's armed forces were originally known as the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), but following the Rwandan Civil War of 1990–1994 and the Rwandan genocide of 1994 against the Tutsi, the victorious Rwandan Patriotic Front (Inkotanyi) created a new organization and named it the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA). Later, it was renamed to its current name. The Rwanda Defence Force’s mission as provided in the Constitution of Rwanda is:
to defend the territorial integrity and the national sovereignty of the Republic;
to collaborate with other security organs in safe guarding public order and enforcement of law;
to participate in humanitarian activities in case of disasters;
to contribute to the development of the country;
to participate in international peace keeping missions, humanitarian assistance and training. After it conquered the country in July 1994 in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide of April to July 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) decided to split into a political division (which retained the RPF name) and a military division, which would serve as the official army of the Rwandan state. Defence spending continues to represent an important share of the national budget, largely due to continuing security problems along Rwanda's frontiers with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, and lingering concerns about Uganda's intentions towards its former ally. There is an ongoing, low level insurgency from Rwandan rebels based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (or FDLR). The RDF is regularly deployed in peacekeeping missions in Africa. Rwanda is now one of the largest contributors of personnel on UN missions.

While Rwanda was a Belgian colony administered as a part of Ruanda Urundi, its security was provided by the Force Publique, the colonial army of the Belgian Congo. As the Congo was due to achieve independence in 1960 and withdraw its forces, the Belgian Special Resident decided to create an indigenous army to provide for Rwanda's security. On 19 May 1960 he ordered the recruitment of a 650 strong military force to become the Garde Territoriale. The force was later renamed the Garde Nationale. The U. S. Army's Area Handbook for Rwanda, compiled in 1968–9, describes the security forces of Rwanda in 1969 as the 2,500 strong National Guard and the National Police, about 1,200 strong. The Forces armées rwandaises (FAR) was the national army of Rwanda until July 1994, when the government collapsed in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and the war with the Rwandan Patriotic Front (Inkotanyi). The FAR was estimated at 7,000 strong, including approximately 1,200 members of the Gendarmerie. Elite troops included the Presidential Guard, estimated at between 1,000 and 1,300 troops, as well as the Paracommando and Reconnaissance units. These two units were of battalion strength by 1994, and then counted a total of 800 troops. In response to the RPF invasion of 1990, the 5,000 man FAR rapidly expanded, with French training assistance (as many as 1,100 French troops were in Rwanda at a time), to some 30,000 by 1992. The Arusha Accords, signed on August 4, 1993, laid out a detailed plan for the integration of the Rwandan Government and Rwandan Patriotic Front military forces. The Rwandan government was to provide 60% of the troops for the new integrated army, but would have to share command positions with the RPF down to the level of battalion. The new army was to consist of no more than 19,000 soldiers and 6,000 Gendarmerie. However radical elements within the Rwandan government were implacably opposed to implementation of the Accords and, instead, began the planning that would lay the foundations for the genocide. The Reconnaissance Battalion's commander, François Xavier Nzuwonemeye, and his subordinates played a key role during the genocide. Together with the Reconnaissance Battalion, the Paracommando Battalion under Major Aloys Ntabakuze and the Presidential Guard under Major Protais Mpiranya became the three most significant genocidare units. Col. Marcel Gatsinzi was briefly named chief of staff of the Rwandan army from April 6 to April 16, 1994, but was replaced by Augustin Bizimungu, who was also promoted to major general on 18 April, since Col. Gatsinzi opposed the genocide. Bizimungu was only briefly chief of staff before fleeing the country. Many soldiers of the FAR have since been implicated by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in the genocide, including its leader during the genocide, Col. Théoneste Bagosora, who was chief of the cabinet (private office) of the Ministry of Defence prior to the genocide. Many elements of the former Rwandan regime, including soldiers of the FAR, fled to eastern Zaire after the RPF victory, where they formed the Rassemblement Démocratique pour le Rwanda (RDR), which later became the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which is still active in eastern Congo's North Kivu Province.

See main article First Congo War.

See main article Second Congo War. Circa 2000 during the Second Congo War, the Rwanda Patriotic Army unofficially admitted to having 4,000 to 8,000 troops deployed in the Congo, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, but this was believed to be a substantial understatement. The International Crisis Group estimated that the RPA has between 17,000 and 25,000 troops deployed in the Congo. In April 2001, a United Nations report on the exploitation of the Congo, said the RPA had a minimum of 25,000 troops in the Congo, an estimate the report attributes to "military specialists with a great deal of experience in the region." During the deployment in the DRC, Rwandan forces fought the so called "Six Day War" against Ugandan forces over the city of Kisangani, leaving at least 1,000 dead. On 17 September 2002 the first Rwandan soldiers were withdrawn from the eastern DRC. On 5 October Rwanda announced the completion of its withdrawal; MONUC confirmed the departure of over 20,000 Rwandan soldiers.

There is an ongoing, low level insurgency from Rwandan rebels based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; mainly the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (or FDLR) During early 2009 the RDF operated in eastern DRC against FDLR rebels in joint operations with the armed forces of the DRC. The initial 2009 deployment was code named Operation Umoja Wetu. The RDF re entered the DRC in 2009 to assist the DRC in putting down the Dongo Rebellion. These operations inside the DRC did not prevent cross border attacks within Rwanda during late 2012, August 2013, December 2018 and December 2019. There has also been a small number of attacks in southern Rwanda from Burundi based rebels. These attacks are usually blamed on the National Forces of Liberation (Forces nationales de libération), or FNL. The FNL is the armed wing of an externally based opposition party: the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change, or MRCD, which was formed by Paul Rusesabagina and Callixte Nsabimana. Rusesabagina is considered by some to be a hero of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and his actions are portrayed in the Hollywood film 'Hotel Rwanda'. Rusesabagina and Nsabimana were kidnapped and flown to Kigali, where they were arrested, in September 2020. Their trial continues. Incursions into southern Rwanda by armed members of the FNL occurred in 2018 and 2019 and 23 May 2021. The Rwanda National Congress is another opposition group reported by the Kigali Government as carrying out attacks in Rwanda. These include blame for grenade attacks in Rwanda between 2010 and 2014 that killed at least 17 people and injured over 400 others.

On 9 July 2021 a 1000 strong joint Rwandan Military Police force started deploying to northern Mozambique to assist the national security forces in combating Islamic extremists. The Joint Task Force was commanded by Maj. Gen. Innocent Kabandana and initially comprised 700 soldiers and 300 police. The Rwandan deployment to Mozambique under a bilateral agreement pre empted a long planned Southern African Development Council (SADC) military operation. The Joint Task Force was soon in action and within the month was reported to have overrun a terrorist base and inflicted casualties. In August 2021 it was reported that the contingent had eliminated 14 insurgents in total. The port town of Mocimboa da Praia was then recaptured from insurgents. Operations then became more scattered across the northern province, and President Kagame announced in February 2022 that 80% of the enemy occupied Cabo Delgado province had been recaptured since mid 2021. At this time the Rwandan Joint Task Force was commanded by Brig. Gen. P. Muhizi. The Joint Task Force was reported to have increased to 2,500 personnel in December 2022 and, in January 2023, the commander was Maj. Gen. Eugene Nkubito. On 4 August 2023 there was a change of command when Maj. Gen. Alexis Kagame assumed command of the Joint Task Force from Maj. Gen Eugene Nkubito and the Task Force Battle Group (TFBG) commander Brig. Gen. F. Mutembe handed over to Col. T. Bahizi, the incoming TFBG 3 Commander.

The Rwandan Land Forces also contain a marine unit which operates on Lake Kivu. The unit utilizes several Fabio Buzzi powerboats equipped as fast attack craft, each armed with a single Chinese Type 85 heavy machine gun. In 2021, Rwanda deployed several of the powerboats to operate in littoral waters in the Indian Ocean as part of its deployment to support Mozambique during the Insurgency in Cabo Delgado.

After achieving independence in 1962, the air arm (Force aérienne rwandaise) was formed with Belgian help. By 1972 the first modern equipment started to arrive in the form of seven Alouette IIIs. Other deliveries included Aérospatiale Gazelle, Britten Norman Islanders, Nord Noratlas, SOCATA Guerrier armed light planes and Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil. After fighting began between the RPA and the government in 1990 most aircraft were shot down, destroyed on the ground or crashed. Few survived. Flight International's World Air Forces 2017 states the Rwandan Air Force has twelve Mil Mi 8/17 helicopters, five Mil Mi 24 and four Aerospatiale Gazelle SA.342. The Rwandan Aviation Unit was subsequently increased to six helicopters reportedly Mi 17.

Type Manufacturer Origin Class RoleIn servicePhoto Mi 24 Mil Helicopter Attack 5 Mi 8/17 Mil Helicopter Transport 12 SA.342 Gazelle Aerospatiale Helicopter Utility 4

The Rwanda Defence Forces Army Band is the military band of the RDF. The RDF Band was founded in 1992 during the Rwandan Civil War and gave its first performance on 8 March 1992. After the war, it was re established with 46 members. Although it represents the defence forces, it falls under the command of the Land Forces.