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The Chief of the Defence Staff is the highest-ranked officer in the Rwanda Defence Force.

Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army[]

No. Portrait Name

(birth–death)

Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army
1 Major general
Déogratias Nsabimana
(1945–1994)
April 1992 6 April 1994 † 2 years
2 Colonel
Marcel Gatsinzi
(born 1948)
7 April 1994 17 April 1994 10 days [1]
3 Major general
Augustin Bizimungu
(born 1952)
17 April 1994 July 1994 2 months [2][3]

Chief of Defence Staff of the Rwandan Patriotic Army/Rwanda Defense Force[]

No. Portrait Name

(birth–death)

Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
Chief of Defence Staff
1 Major general
Sam Kanyemera
1998 [4]
2 Kayumba Nyamwasa Lieutenant general
Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa
(born 1962)
1998 2002 3–4 years
3 James Kabarebe General
James Kabarebe
(born 1959)
October 2002 10 April 2010 7 years, 6 months
4 Lieutenant general
Charles Kayonga
(born 1962)
April 2010 June 2013 3 years, 2 months
5 Patrick Nyamvumba General
Patrick Nyamvumba
(born 1967)
22 June 2013 4 November 2019 6 years, 4 months [5]
6 Kazura General
Jean Bosco Kazura
4 November 2019 5 June 2023 5 years, 1 month [6]
7 Lieutenant-General
Mubarak Muganga
(born 1967)
5 June 2023 Incumbent 1 year, 6 months [7]

References[]

  1. Guichaoua, André (2015) (in en). From War to Genocide: Criminal Politics in Rwanda, 1990–1994. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 159, 212. ISBN 9780299298203. 
  2. Dallaire, Roméo. "Ch. 11: To Go or To Stay?". Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. pp. 292–293. 
  3. Des Forges, Alison (March 1999). Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda – Extending the Genocide → Removing Dissenters. New York: Human Rights Watch. ISBN 1-56432-171-1. https://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/1999/rwanda/Geno4-7-04.htm. 
  4. "Mukezamfura speaks out on General Kaka". newtimes.co.rw. 14 August 2007. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/729. 
  5. "Leaders". https://mod.gov.rw/about-the-rdf/leaders/#.Wdn-cGiCzIU. 
  6. Munyaneza, J. (2019) 'General Kazura Replaces General Nyamvumba as Kagame Shakes Up Top Military Brass', The New Times (Kigali), 5 November 2019, <www.newtimes.co.rw/news/gen-kazura-replaces-gen-nyamvumba-kagame-shakes-top-military-brass>
  7. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/8055/news/security/marizamunda-is-new-defence-minister-as-gen-muganga-becomes-army-chief


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