A notable figure among those retiring is General James Kabarebe, former Minister of Defence and Chief of Defense Staff for the country. The official announcement of this decision was made available on the Rwanda Defense Force's official website on Wednesday.
This announcement coincides with recent military coups witnessed in Niger Republic and Gabon. While some of the retired individuals had reached the mandatory retirement age of 65, others were implicated in various misconducts. General Kabarebe, before his retirement, held the position of special advisor to the president on security matters.
The President's endorsement of the retirement extended to 83 senior officers, 6 junior officers, 86 senior non-commissioned officers, 678 individuals whose contracts had concluded, and 160 cases of medical discharges, as highlighted in the official statement. In anticipation of their retirement, a group of lieutenant colonels were elevated to the rank of colonels and brigade commanders.
Although the statement did not explicitly outline the reasons behind the retirement of over 600 military personnel, President Kagame had previously addressed the importance of maintaining national unity.
He emphasized that the country's history serves as a lesson on the detrimental impact of division and underscored the role of unity in Rwanda's transformation.
President Kagame stated, “Our history has been an example of how destructive division can be. We have also seen that it is our unity that has led to our country’s transformation. We have people who lost their family members, others who have family members who are perpetrators, everyone has suffered the consequences of division. The only solution to this is unity. We cannot accept to return to the destructive practice of division. That would be self-destruction.”
