Rwandan Defence Forces
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| Rwandan Defence Forces Forces Rwandaises de Défense |
|
|---|---|
| Founded | 1962 |
| Current form | 1994 |
| Service branches | Army, Air Force |
| Available for military service |
2,004,750 males, age 16–49 (2005 est.), 1,990,935 females, age 16–49 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service |
1,103,823 males, age 16–49 (2005 est.), 1,096,644 females, age 16–49 (2005 est.) |
| Expenditures | |
| Percent of GDP | 13.3% (2006 est.) |
The Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF, in French Forces Rwandaises de Défense) is the national army of Rwanda. Largely composed of former Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) fighters, it comprises an army and a paramilitary gendarmerie.
After the successful conquest of the country in 1994 in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide, the Rwandan Patriotic Front decided to split the RPF into a political division (which retained the RPF name) and a military division, which was to serve as the official army of the Rwandan state in two distinct and independent institutions.
Many soldiers from the former Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), the national army under the previous regime (see next section), have been incorporated into the RDF since 1994.
Defense spending continues to represent an important share of the national budget, largely due to continuing security problems along the frontiers with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, and lingering concerns about Uganda's intentions towards its former ally. The government has launched an ambitious plan to demobilize thousands of soldiers.
The Cyangungu Military Camp has been reported to house the 31st Brigade of the 4th Division of the Rwandan Defence Forces.[1]
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[edit] Rwandan Armed Forces ~1960-1994
The Rwandan Armed Forces or Forces Armées Rwandaises was the national army of Rwanda until July 1994, when the Hutu-dominated government collapsed in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide and the invasion by Paul Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front.
Many soldiers of FAR have since been implicated by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in the genocide, including its leader during the genocide, Colonel Théoneste Bagosora. Other top leaders in the RAF were implicated in the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana which sparked the genocide.
Many elements of the former Rwandan régime, including soldiers formerly of the FAR, fled to eastern Zaire after the RPF victory, where they formed the RDR army, which still has a descendant force in today's Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, active primarily in North Kivu.
[edit] Aircraft
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale Dauphin |  France |
utility helicopter | SA 365CS | 1 | |
| Aérospatiale Ecureuil | France |
utility helicopter | SA 355F | 1 | |
| Mil Mi-24 Hind |  Soviet Union |
attack helicopter | 2 | ||
| Mil Mi-8 Hip | Soviet Union |
transport helicopter | 3 |
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources and References
- ^ Honoré Ngbanda Nzambo
- ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
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