The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) has recently undergone significant leadership changes as directed by the President of the Republic of Rwanda and the Commander-in-Chief of RDF, as stated on the official website of the Rwandan Ministry of Defense and its X account. These developments come at a time when reports continue to surface about Rwandan troops being deployed in large numbers to Eastern Congo, equipped with sophisticated weaponry including anti-aircraft systems.
The most notable establishment is the RDF Military Health Service, which now boasts a new set of leaders:
- Major General Dr. Ephrem Rurangwa has been appointed as the Chief of Staff for the Medical Health Service.
- Colonel Dr. John Nkurikiye was promoted to Brigadier General and is now the Deputy Chief of Staff, Medical Health Service.
- Brigadier General Dr. Jean Paul Bitega takes over as Commander of the Medical Operations Command.
- Colonel Dr. Eugene Ngoga has been promoted to Brigadier General and will serve as the Commandant of the Rwanda Military Referral and Teaching Hospital.
- Colonel Dr. Chrysostome Kagimbana, now promoted to Brigadier General, is the new Commander of Medical Regional Support Facilities.
- Colonel Dr. Eric Seruyange is the new Director of Epidemiology and Public Health.
- Lieutenant Colonel Leon Ruvugabigwi has been named Director of Drugs and Materials.
- Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Vincent Sugira will oversee Medical Training, Research, and Innovation.
Additional appointments include Brigadier General Franco Rutagengwa as the Commandant of the Rwanda Military Academy in Gako, Colonel Lambert Sendegaya as Chief J1, and Colonel Faustin K Nsanzabera as Chief J6. Other notable roles are Colonel Ignace Tuyisenge, appointed as Commander of the Military Police Brigade, and Colonel Pacifique Kabanda, who takes on the role of Military Prosecutor General. Colonel Seraphine Nyirasafari is the new Director of CIMIC at RDF HQ, Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Ruzibiza steps into the role of Deputy Brigade Commander of the 309 Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Ngirinshuti becomes the Ordnance Regiment Commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Jean de Dieu Kayinamura has been appointed as the Managing Director of the Loyal Trust Company Ltd.
These appointments and promotions are effective immediately, reflecting a strategic restructuring within the RDF. This reshuffling may signal a further entrenchment of military readiness and operational enhancement amid ongoing regional tensions. Critics of President Paul Kagame’s administration might view these developments as part of a broader strategy to bolster his regime’s influence and control, both domestically and in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
