Mistrust Cited as Kagame Shuffles top Army Chiefs

Meanwhile, recent reports indicate that President Paul Kagame has put his former Defense Minister and blue eyed boy Gen James Kabarebe under house arrest for over a month now

by Kp Reporter

posted onSeptember 3, 2019

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President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has made appointments and changes within the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) in a move seen by observers as an effort to restore firm control over his armed forces.

Kagame made three appointments including Maj Gen Emmanuel Bayingana, who was appointed as the Air Force Chief of Staff; Brig Gen Vincent Nyakarundi, appointed as head of Defence Intelligence; and Col Andrew Nyamvumba, as the head of Defence Research and Development at the Ministry of Defence.

According to Mr David Himbara, a Rwandan that once served in Kagame's government, "General Paul Kagame is either arresting his generals or reshuffling them on a continuous basis," said Mr Himbara on his Medium account.

According to Himbara, a renowned commentator on Rwandan affairs, "Kagame’s Paranoia Drove Him To Reshuffle Military".

Meanwhile, recent reports indicate that President Paul Kagame has put his former Defense Minister and blue eyed boy Gen James Kabarebe under house arrest for over a month now.

Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Ndahiro, also a former confidant of the Rwandan President is reported to have been thrown into jail.

Ndahiro served as Kagame's physician, security adviser and spokesman. He also served as military spokesman when Kagame was minister of defense. Ndahiro served as Rwanda’s National Intelligence and Security Services. Kagame promoted Ndahiro to brigadier general before he was recently picked and locked up.

Another high ranking officer that has not appeared in public for a while now is Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera.

Sezibera was very outspoken following Rwanda's closure of its border with Uganda in Feberuary until he went silent a few months ago. He has served in different capacities including ambassador to the United States, minister of health and secretary-general of the East African Community — becoming foreign affairs minister in 2018.

Some reports indicate that Sezibera is fighting for his life after he was reportedly poisoned after visiting the Rwandan embassy in the UK.