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72-573: The current Police Commissioner General is Dieudonne Amuli Bahigwa , a former Congolese army officer, who replaced Charles Bisengimana in July 2017. The former Kinshasa Police Commissioner, General Celestin Kanyama , was sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for his role in repressing citizens during anti-government protests using violence. He was removed from his post in 2017. The organisation's budget

144-542: A FARDC light infantry battalion at Camp Base, Kisangani , in February 2010. The unit of 750 Congolese soldiers would become known as the 391st Commando Battalion. The company was supervised by U.S. Special Operations Command Africa . The battalion was trained in small unit tactics, communications, medical care, and food production to sustain itself. However, in 2013, during the M23 rebel advance in eastern Congo, several members of

216-635: A blue uniform. Their service weapons are the Kalashnikov (7.62mm) though the large majority of officers on the streets do not carry weapons. The National Police often use Toyota Land Cruisers and 4x4s as well as trucks, some more specialised vehicles and they use smaller Toyota Yaris type vehicles in the city of Kinshasa. Land Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Land Forces ( French : Forces Terrestres ), also called

288-522: A peak deployed strength of four battalions, the numbers had declined by mid-2020 to two battalions. United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) In April 2012 a Rwandan contingent was deployed to this UN mission in the newly independent country of South Sudan. The deployment was continuing in mid-2020, by when an aviation unit, two infantry battalions and a Regional Protection Force battalion were deployed. AU-led International Support Mission to

360-415: A programme of synergy based on the four pillars of dissuasion, production, reconstruction and excellence. "The Rapid Reaction Force is expected to focus on dissuasion, through a Rapid Reaction Force of 12 battalions, capable of aiding MONUC to secure the east of the country and to realise constitutional missions," Defence Minister Chikez Diemu said. Amid the other difficulties in building new armed forces for

432-566: A single Chinese Type-85 heavy machine gun . In 2021, Rwanda deployed several of the powerboats to operate in littoral waters in the Indian Ocean as part of its deployment to support Mozambique during the Insurgency in Cabo Delgado . After achieving independence in 1962, the air arm ( Force aérienne rwandaise ) was formed with Belgian help. By 1972 the first modern equipment started to arrive in

504-411: A small battalion) whereas some battalions may not even have the size of a normal company (over 100 men)." In 2015, three hundred FARDC special forces troops were deployed in northern Katanga to prevent inter-ethnic violence between Mbuti and Bantu locals. See also U.S. State Department, 07KINSHASA452 Congolese Military Proposes Redeployment, Renaming Of Integrated Brigades , 19 April 2007. Like

576-559: A strength of over 19,000 peacekeepers (including 16,998 military personnel) and has a mission of assisting Congolese authorities maintain security. The UN and foreign military aid missions, the most prominent being EUSEC RD Congo , are attempting to assist the Congolese in rebuilding the armed forces, with major efforts being made in trying to assure regular payment of salaries to armed forces personnel and also in military justice. Retired Canadian Lieutenant General Marc Caron also served for

648-611: A time as Security Sector Reform advisor to the head of MONUC. Groups of anti-Rwandan government rebels like the FDLR, and other foreign fighters remain inside the DRC. The FDLR which is the greatest concern, was some 6,000 strong, as of July 2007. By late 2010 the FDLR's strength however was estimated at 2,500. The other groups are smaller: the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army , the Ugandan rebel group

720-564: A total of 800 troops. In response to the RPF invasion of 1990, the 5,000-man FAR rapidly expanded, with French training assistance (as many as 1,100 French troops were in Rwanda at a time ), to some 30,000 by 1992. The Arusha Accords , signed on 4 August 1993, laid out a detailed plan for the integration of the Rwandan Government and Rwandan Patriotic Front military forces. The Rwandan government

792-457: Is anticipated to have withdrawn, the creation of a Main Defence Force of three divisions. In February 2008, the current reform plan was described as: "The short term, 2008–2010, will see the setting in place of a Rapid Reaction Force; the medium term, 2008–2015, with a Covering Force; and finally the long term, 2015–2020, with a Principal Defence Force." He added that the reform plan rests on

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864-463: Is approximately $ 257,130,643 (2015). The PNC operates alongside the military police ( police militaire or PM ) to police the city of Kinshasa. The legislation "Decree-Law N° 002-2002 On institution, organization and functioning of the Congolese national police" from 26 January 2002 establishes the role of the National Police (PNC) of the DRC. Starting in 2014, about 150 police officers part of

936-470: Is not much further information available, and no internet-accessible source details the relationship of the National Service to other armed forces bodies; it is not listed in the constitution. President Kabila, in one of the few comments available, says National Service will provide a gainful activity for street children. Obligatory civil service administered through the armed forces was also proposed under

1008-495: Is paid regularly, but still commits rapes and robberies nearby their bases. In an effort to extend his personal control across the country, then President Joseph Kabila deployed the GR at key airports, ostensibly in preparation for an impending presidential visit. At the end of 2005, there were Guards deployed in Mbandaka , Kindu , Lubumbashi , Bukavu , Kolwezi , staying many months after

1080-562: The Allied Democratic Forces in the remote area of Mt Rwenzori , and the Burundian Parti pour la Libération du Peuple Hutu— Forces Nationales de Liberation (PALIPEHUTU-FNL). Finally there is a government paramilitary force, created in 1997 under President Laurent Kabila. The National Service is tasked with providing the army with food and with training the youth in a range of reconstruction and developmental activities. There

1152-645: The Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion of the People's Liberation Army 's Central Theater Command marched while using the goosestep. Mandarin parade commands are used, such as "Look to the right!" to which the soldiers respond with "One! Two!", which is done similarly in the PLA honor guard. Prior to this, only the rebels utilized the goosestep during the Civil War, as they received military training in

1224-807: The Congolese Army , are the land warfare component and the largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). The current Congolese army has its origins in the Force Publique that was active in the Belgian Congo , which was renamed the Congolese National Army ( Armée nationale congolaise , ANC) when the country gained independence from Belgium in 1960. During

1296-501: The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi , and lingering concerns about Uganda 's intentions towards its former ally. There is an ongoing, low-level insurgency from Rwandan rebels based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , mainly the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (or FDLR ). The RDF is regularly deployed in peacekeeping missions in Africa. Rwanda is now one of

1368-713: The FDLR , strains arose between the FARDC and Nkunda-loyalist troops within the brigades and they fell apart in the last days of August 2007. The International Crisis Group says that 'by 30 August [2007] Nkunda's troops had left the mixed brigades and controlled a large part of the Masisi and Rutshuru territories' (of North Kivu ). Both formally integrated brigades and the non-integrated units continue to conduct arbitrary arrests, rapes, robbery, and other crimes and these human rights violations are "regularly" committed by both officers and members of

1440-705: The Force Publique in the Congo Free State , FARDC brigades have been deploying to their areas of operation with their families in tow. 2nd Commando Battalion of the Belgian Paracommando Brigade trained one of the first integrated brigades from January to June 2004. As of 13 September 2006, the Government had established 13 out of the 18 integrated brigades it had planned to create before the elections. (S/2006/759, 21 September 2006, 12) A fourteenth brigade

1512-651: The Forces armées rwandaises (FAR), but following the Rwandan Civil War of 1990–1994 and the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the victorious Rwandan Patriotic Front (Inkotanyi) renamed it the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), its army name during the struggle of 1990–1994. Later, it was renamed to its current name. The Rwanda Defence Force's mission as provided in the Constitution of Rwanda is: After it conquered

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1584-552: The Kivus in the 2005-9 period. In February 2014, Ukraine revealed that it had achieved the first export order for the T-64 tank to the DRC Land Forces for 50 T-64BV-1s. There are currently large numbers of United Nations troops stationed in the DRC. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) As of 31 August 2011 had

1656-559: The Rwandan Army . The land forces are made up of about 14 integrated brigades , of fighters from all the former warring factions which have gone through an brassage integration process (see next paragraph), and a not-publicly known number of non-integrated brigades which remain solely made up from single factions (the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD)'s Armee National Congolaise, the ex-government former Congolese Armed Forces (FAC),

1728-650: The Second Congo War , the Rwanda Patriotic Army unofficially admitted to having 4,000 to 8,000 troops deployed in the Congo, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit , but this was believed to be a substantial understatement. The International Crisis Group estimated that the RPA has between 17,000 and 25,000 troops deployed in the Congo. In April 2001, a United Nations report on the exploitation of

1800-633: The Virunga National Park ) in Nord-Kivu , and Luberizi (on the border with Burundi) in South Kivu. The process has suffered severe difficulties due to construction delays, administration errors, and the amount of travel former combatants have to do, as the three stages' centres are widely separated. Following the first 18 integrated brigades, the second goal is the formation of a ready reaction force of two to three brigades, and finally, by 2010 when MONUC

1872-861: The ex-RCD KML , the ex- Movement for the Liberation of Congo , the armed groups of the Ituri conflict (the Mouvement des Révolutionnaires Congolais (MRC), Forces de Résistance Patriotique d'Ituri (FRPI) and the Front Nationaliste Intégrationniste (FNI)) and the Mai-Mai ). It appears that about the same time that Presidential Decree 03/042 of 18 December 2003 established the National Commission for Demobilisation and Reinsertion (CONADER), '..all ex-combatants were officially declared as FARDC soldiers and

1944-686: The "Formed Police Unit" were deployed to the neighboring Central African Republic as part of a peacekeeping contingent, along with 850 FARDC troops. In February 2019 Human Rights Watch accused the Congolese police of extrajudicially executing dozens of people during a crackdown on gangs in Kinshasa. In March 2022, first lady, Denise Nyakéru Tshisekedi visited the Congolese National Police in Kinshasa during training. They were working with MONUSCO police concerning gender mainstreaming in peacekeeping operations. Congolese police officers wear

2016-542: The 305th Brigade, Lt. Col. Laurent Munyakazi took command of the 99th Battalion, and Lt. Col. (later Brig. Gen.) Emmanuel Habyarimana became an RPA Member of Parliament and Director of Training in the Ministry of Defence. Gen. Gatsinzi later became Director of Security and then Minister of Defence in 2002. The Rwandan Land Forces also contain a marine unit which operates on Lake Kivu . The unit utilizes several Fabio Buzzi powerboats equipped as fast attack craft, each armed with

2088-627: The 391st Commando Battalion were found to have committed mass rape against civilian women fleeing from the warzone, and other atrocities. In addition to the other land forces, there is a Republican Guard presidential force, formerly known as the Special Presidential Security Group (GSSP). FARDC military officials state that the Garde Républicaine is not the responsibility of FARDC, but the Head of State. Apart from Article 140 of

2160-520: The 45-day retraining provided by brassage , and it seems that actually, the process was limited to exchanging battalions between the FAC and Nkunda brigades in North Kivu, without further integration. Due to Nkunda's troops having greater cohesion, Nkunda effectively gained control of all five brigades - not what the DRC central government had been hoping! However, after Nkunda used the mixage brigades to fight

2232-536: The Army's equipment is non-operational due to insufficient maintenance—in 2002 only 20 percent of the Army's armoured vehicles were estimated as being serviceable. In addition to these 2007 figures, In March 2010, it was reported that the DRC's land forces had ordered US$ 80 million worth of military equipment from Ukraine which included 20 T-72 main battle tanks, 100 trucks and various small arms. 20 x T-72 have been reported by World Defence Almanac. Tanks have been used in

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2304-566: The CAR (MISCA) This African Union mission to the troubled Central African Republic was joined, between January and September 2014, by a Rwandan mechanised battalion. United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) This UN mission superseded the AU-led mission in the Central African Republic. Rwanda provides a protection battalion in

2376-417: The Congo, said the RPA had a minimum of 25,000 troops in the Congo, an estimate the report attributes to "military specialists with a great deal of experience in the region." During the deployment in the DRC, Rwandan forces fought the so-called " Six-Day War " against Ugandan forces over the city of Kisangani , leaving at least 1,000 dead. On 17 September 2002, the first Rwandan soldiers were withdrawn from

2448-436: The DRC, in early 2007 the integration and training process was distorted as the DRC government under Kabila attempted to use it to gain more control over the dissident general Laurent Nkunda . A hastily negotiated verbal agreement in Rwanda saw three government FAC brigades integrated with Nkunda's former ANC 81st and 83rd Brigades in what was called mixage . Mixage brought multiple factions into composite brigades, but without

2520-580: The FNL occurred in 2018 and 2019 and, more recently, on 27 June 2020 and 23 May 2021. The Rwanda National Congress is another opposition group reported by the Kigali Government as carrying out attacks in Rwanda. These include blame for grenade attacks in Rwanda between 2010 and 2014 that killed at least 17 people and injured over 400 others. On 9 July 2021, a 1000-strong joint Rwandan military police force started deploying to northern Mozambique to assist

2592-657: The Forces du Terrestres (Land Forces). The People's Republic of China has trained Congolese troops at Kamina in Katanga from at least 2004 to 2009, and the Belgian government is training at least one 'rapid reaction' battalion. When Kabila visited U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington D.C., he also asked the U.S. Government to train a battalion, and as a result, a private contractor, Protection Strategies Incorporated, started training

2664-577: The Law on the Army and Defence, no legal stipulation on the DRC's Armed Forces makes provision for the GR as a distinct unit within the national army. In February 2005, President Joseph Kabila passed a decree which appointed the GR's commanding officer and 'repealed any previous provisions contrary' to that decree. The GR is more than 10,000 strong (the ICG said 10,000–15,000 in January 2007), and has better working conditions and

2736-601: The Mobutu regime during the 'radicalisation' programme of December 1974-January 1975; the FAZ was opposed to the measure and the plan 'took several months to die.' Rwandan Army The Rwanda Defence Force ( RDF , Kinyarwanda : Ingabo z'u Rwanda , French : Forces rwandaises de défense , Swahili : Nguvu ya Ulinzi ya Watu wa Rwanda ) is the military of the Republic of Rwanda . The country's armed forces were originally known as

2808-821: The National Forces of Liberation ( Forces nationales de libération ), or FNL. The FNL is the armed wing of an externally-based opposition party: the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change, or MRCD, which was formed by Paul Rusesabagina and Callixte Nsabimana. Rusesabagina is considered by some to be a hero of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and his actions are portrayed in the Hollywood film 'Hotel Rwanda'. Rusesabagina and Nsabimana were kidnapped and flown to Kigali, where they were arrested, in September 2020. Their trial continues. Incursions into southern Rwanda by armed members of

2880-489: The President had left. They are still deployed at Kisangani 's Bangoka airport , where they appear to answer to no local commander and have caused trouble with MONUC troops there. The GR is also supposed to undergo the integration process, but as of January 2007, only one battalion had been announced as being integrated. Formed at a brassage centre in the Kinshasa suburb of Kibomango, the battalion included 800 men, half from

2952-732: The RDF has adopted the Chinese variant of the goosestep , which is today mostly used by countries in Central and Eastern Europe , by communist countries, as well as by countries with a large Prussian/German influence ( Russia , China and Chile all being examples of each). It was first displayed in April during the military parade in honor of the Rwandan genocide 's silver jubilee on Liberation Day , in which over 1,500 RDF soldiers and policemen trained by six members of

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3024-437: The RPA before the First Congo War . The officially admitted part of the training was Joint Combined Exchange Training . Prunier strongly implies the United States supplied communications equipment, vehicles, boots, and medicines to the RPA before the war began and after it broke out, delivered second-hand Warsaw Pact weapons and ammunition either directly to Goma or by airdrop along the AFDL front lines. He reports that after

3096-476: The Rwandan Air Force has twelve Mil Mi-8 /17 helicopters, five Mil Mi-24 and four Aerospatiale Gazelle SA.342. During December 2012 an aviation unit of three helicopters was sent to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The Rwandan Aviation Unit was subsequently increased to six helicopters – reportedly Mi-17. Despite not being a former British colony, Rwanda has generally used British foot drill during official parades and functions. Since 2019, however,

3168-476: The Rwandan Joint Task Force was commanded by Brig. Gen. P. Muhizi. The Joint Task Force was reported to have increased to 2,500 personnel in December 2022 and, in January 2023, the commander was Maj. Gen. Eugene Nkubito. On 4 August 2023, there was a change of command when Maj. Gen. Alexis Kagame assumed command of the Joint Task Force from Maj. Gen Eugene Nkubito and the Task Force Battle Group (TFBG) commander Brig. Gen. F. Mutembe handed over to Col. T. Bahizi,

3240-443: The Rwandan army from 6 to 16 April 1994, but was replaced by Augustin Bizimungu , who was also promoted to major general on 18 April, since Col. Gatsinzi opposed the genocide. Bizimungu was only briefly chief of staff before fleeing the country. Many soldiers of the FAR have since been implicated by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in the genocide, including its leader during the genocide, Col. Théoneste Bagosora , who

3312-466: The armed forces of the DRC. The initial 2009 deployment was code-named Operation Umoja Wetu. The RDF re-entered the DRC in 2009 to assist the DRC in putting down the Dongo Rebellion . These operations inside the DRC did not prevent cross-border attacks within Rwanda during late 2012, August 2013, December 2018 and December 2019. There has also been a small number of attacks in southern Rwanda from Burundi-based rebels. These attacks are usually blamed on

3384-478: The armed forces. Combatants who choose demobilization receive an initial cash payment of US $ 110. Those who choose to stay within the FARDC are then transferred to one of six integration centres for a 45-day training course, which aims to build integrated formations out of factional fighters previously heavily divided along ethnic, political and regional lines. The centres are spread out around the country at Kitona , Kamina , Kisangani , Rumangabo and Nyaleke (within

3456-430: The army remains hampered by corruption as well as low and infrequent pay, which led to Land Forces troops committing numerous crimes against civilians. Since the end of the Second Congo War the army remains engaged with dozens of armed rebel groups throughout the country, most notably in the eastern province of North Kivu , near the border with Rwanda. There have also been multiple border clashes between Congolese troops and

3528-402: The capital of Bangui, a level two hospital in the town of Bria and, from September 2017, a battle group comprising a mechanised infantry battalion. During August 2021 the Rwandan was expanded again, when a third Rwandan infantry battalion was deployed to the CAR. The RDF command comprises: Major training centres include: Several sources, including Gérard Prunier , document U.S. aid to

3600-444: The country in July 1994 in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide of April to July 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) decided to split into a political division (which retained the RPF name) and a military division, which would serve as the official army of the Rwandan state. Defence spending continues to represent an important share of the national budget, largely due to continuing security problems along Rwanda's frontiers with

3672-426: The eastern DRC. On 5 October Rwanda announced the completion of its withdrawal; MONUC confirmed the departure of over 20,000 Rwandan soldiers. There is an ongoing, low-level insurgency from Rwandan rebels based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; mainly the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (or FDLR ) During early 2009 the RDF operated in eastern DRC against FDLR rebels in joint operations with

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3744-441: The first ever deployment of Rwandan personnel on a United Nations mission, a small contingent of 254 personnel was deployed for year-long tours between November 2005 and September 2010. African Union/ United Nations Hybrid Mission to Darfur (UNAMID) This UN mission superseded the AU mission in the Darfur region of Sudan. Infantry battalions have been deployed, for year-long tours, between January 2008 and mid-2020. Starting with

3816-399: The form of seven Alouette IIIs . Other deliveries included Aérospatiale Gazelle , Britten-Norman Islanders , Nord Noratlas , SOCATA Guerrier armed light planes and Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil . After fighting began between the RPA and the government in 1990 most aircraft were shot down, destroyed on the ground or crashed. Few survived. Flight International's World Air Forces 2017 states

3888-435: The former FAZ troops and various rebels that supported him were in no condition to fight the invasion by Rwandan -backed militant groups during the Second Congo War (1998–2003) and largely collapsed. The peace agreement signed in 2002 initiated the process of uniting former rebel groups in a national army, the Forces du Terrestres of the FARDC, reorganizing them into multiple brigades . Although some progress has been made

3960-409: The former GSSP and half from the MLC and RCD Goma. Attempting to list the equipment available to the DRC's land forces is difficult; most figures are unreliable estimates based on known items delivered in the past. The IISS 's Military Balance 2007 and Orbat.com's Concise World Armies 2005 give only slightly differing figures however (the figures below are from the IISS Military Balance 2007). Much of

4032-403: The former Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), the national army under the previous regime, have been incorporated into the RDF since 1994. This process began soon after the genocide in January 1995, when several former FAR officers were given senior positions in the new armed forces: Col. (later Gen.) Marcel Gatsinzi became the Deputy Chief of Staff of the RPA, Col. Balthazar Ndengeyinka became commander of

4104-420: The genocide. The Reconnaissance Battalion's commander, François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye , and his subordinates played a key role during the genocide. Together with the Reconnaissance Battalion, the Paracommando Battalion under Major Aloys Ntabakuze and the Presidential Guard under Major Protais Mpiranya became the three most significant genocidare units. Col. Marcel Gatsinzi was briefly named chief of staff of

4176-441: The government collapsed in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and the war with the Rwandan Patriotic Front (Inkotanyi). The FAR was estimated at 7,000 strong, including approximately 1,200 members of the Gendarmerie . Elite troops included the Presidential Guard, estimated at between 1,000 and 1,300 troops, as well as the Paracommando and Reconnaissance units. These two units were of battalion strength by 1994, and then counted

4248-455: The incoming TFBG 3 Commander. The RDF has deployed forces on a number of UN and AU-endorsed peacekeeping support operations in Africa. Rwanda is now one of the largest contributors of personnel on UN missions. Deployments include: African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) Units were deployed on year-long tours of duty between August 2004 and December 2007. The peak commitment was four battalions. United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) In

4320-430: The largest contributors of personnel on UN missions. While Rwanda was a Belgian colony administered as a part of Ruanda-Urundi , its security was provided by the Force Publique , the colonial army of the Belgian Congo . As the Congo was due to achieve independence in 1960 and withdraw its forces, the Belgian Special Resident decided to create an indigenous army to provide for Rwanda's security. On 19 May 1960, he ordered

4392-404: The national security forces in combating Islamic extremists. The Joint Task Force was commanded by Maj. Gen. Innocent Kabandana and initially comprised 700 soldiers and 300 police. The Rwandan deployment to Mozambique under a bilateral agreement pre-empted a long-planned Southern African Development Council (SADC) military operation. The Joint Task Force was soon in action and within the month

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4464-406: The ones that existed prior to the reshuffle. A Congolese military analyst based in Brussels, Jean-Jacques Wondo, provided an outline of the updated command structure of the FARDC following the shake up of the high command: Several known officers held the post of chief of land forces staff. A number of outside donor countries are also carrying out separate training programmes for various parts of

4536-480: The political administrative boundaries, which often complicated military operations. During the First Congo War the brigade headquarters remained inside Rwanda but directed operations inside the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Jane's World Armies said in July 2009 that the RDF is deployed to protect the country's borders and defend against external aggression. There are four divisions, each deploying three brigades: Brigades reported include: Many soldiers from

4608-545: The rank and file. Members of the Army also often strike deals to gain access to resources with the militias they are meant to be fighting. The various brigades and other formations and units number at least 100,000 troops. The status of these brigades has been described as "pretty chaotic." A 2007 disarmament and repatriation study said "army units that have not yet gone through the process of brassage are usually much smaller than what they ought to be. Some non-integrated brigades have only 500 men (and are thus nothing more than

4680-416: The recruitment of a 650-strong military force to become the Garde Territoriale. The force was later renamed the Garde Nationale. The U.S. Army's Area Handbook for Rwanda , compiled in 1968–9, describes the security forces of Rwanda in 1969 as the 2,500 strong National Guard and the National Police, about 1,200 strong. The Forces armées rwandaises (FAR) was the national army of Rwanda until July 1994, when

4752-465: The regime of Mobutu Sese Seko , it was renamed the Armed Forces of Zaire ( Forces Armées Zaïroises , FAZ) in 1971 with the country's name change from Congo to Zaire. Under Mobutu's leadership the FAZ was used to put down various rebellions but was deliberately kept weak to prevent any possible coup, resulting in its collapse in the face of Laurent Kabila 's AFDL rebel movement during the First Congo War (1996–1997). After Kabila's overthrow of Mobutu

4824-461: The then FARDC brigades [were to] rest deployed until the order to leave for brassage. The reform plan adopted in 2005 envisaged the formation of eighteen integrated brigades through the brassage process as its first of three stages. The process consists firstly of regroupment, where fighters are disarmed. Then they are sent to orientation centres, run by CONADER, where fighters take the choice of either returning to civilian society or remaining in

4896-591: The war's outbreak, the U.S. Air Force had switched from using C-141 Starlifters and C-5 Galaxys to deliver the non-lethal aid to Kigali Airport and Entebbe Airport , to airdrops by C-130 Hercules aircraft. From July 1994 until December 1997 the RPA had six brigades, as designated in the Arusha Accords: 402nd in Kigali and Kigali Rurale Prefecture; 201st in Kibungo, Umatura, and Byumba Prefectures; 301st in Butare, Gikongoro, and Cyangugu Prefectures; 305th in Gitatama and Kibuye Prefectures; and 211th in Gisenyi and Ruhengeri Prefectures. The brigade boundaries mirrored

4968-533: Was chief of the cabinet (private office) of the Ministry of Defence prior to the genocide. Many elements of the former Rwandan regime, including soldiers of the FAR, fled to eastern Zaire after the RPF victory, where they formed the Rassemblement Démocratique pour le Rwanda (RDR), which later became the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which is still active in eastern Congo 's North Kivu Province. See main article First Congo War . See main article Second Congo War . Circa 2000 during

5040-440: Was created by March 2007. (S/2007/156, 20 March 2007, 7) In September 2014, President Kabila reshuffled the command structure and in addition to military regions created three new 'defense zones' which would be subordinated directly to the general staff. The defense zones essentially created a new layer between the general staff and the provincial commanders. The military regions themselves were reorganized and do not correspond with

5112-458: Was reported to have overrun a terrorist base and inflicted casualties. In August 2021 it was reported that the contingent had eliminated 14 insurgents in total. The port town of Mocimboa da Praia was then recaptured from insurgents. Operations then became more scattered across the northern province, and President Kagame announced in February 2022 that 80% of the enemy occupied Cabo Delgado province had been recaptured since mid-2021. At this time

5184-512: Was to provide 60% of the troops for the new integrated army, but would have to share command positions with the RPF down to the level of battalion. The new army was to consist of no more than 19,000 soldiers and 6,000 Gendarmerie. However radical elements within the Rwandan government were implacably opposed to implementation of the Accords and, instead, began the planning that would lay the foundations for

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