the RDF is widely regarded as one of East Africa’s best trained and most experienced militaries; the Army is relatively large with four divisions that are mostly comprised of light infantry brigades; it also has separate artillery, presidential guard, and special operations brigades; the Air Force has a small inventory of combat helicopters and a handful of transport aircraft
the RDF’s principle responsibilities are ensuring territorial integrity and national sovereignty and preventing infiltrations of illegal armed groups from neighboring countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); since 2021, Rwanda has deployed troops to the border region with the DRC to combat the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which it has accused the DRC of backing; the RDF has been accused by the DRC, the UN, and the US of making incursions into the DRC and providing material support to the March 23 Movement (M23, aka Congolese Revolutionary Army) rebel group, which has been fighting with DRC troops and UN peacekeeping forces; the RDF also participates in UN and regional military operations; over 6,000 RDF personnel are deployed in the Central African Republic, Mozambique, and /country/Sudan">Sudan">South SudanMilitary and security service personnel strengths | approximately 33,000 active RDF personnel (32,000 Army; 1,000 Air Force) (2023) |
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Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the RDF's inventory includes mostly Soviet-era and older Western--largely French and South African--equipment; in recent years, Russia has been the top supplier of arms to Rwanda (2023) |
Military service age and obligation | 18 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required; enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career (2023). note: as of 2022, women comprised approximately 6% of the Rwanda Defense Force |
Military deployments | approximately 2,200 Central African Republic (MINUSCA; plus about 700 police); approximately 2,500 Mozambique (deployed mid-2021 under a bilateral agreement to assist with combating an insurgency; includes both military and police forces); 2,600 (plus about 450 police) South Sudan (UNMISS) (2024). note: in December 2020, Rwanda sent an additional 1,200 to the Central African Republic under a bilateral agreement to support and train Central African Republic military forces, but their status as of 2024 was unclear) |
Military expenditures | |
Military Expenditures 2022 | 1.4% of GDP (2022 est.) |
Military Expenditures 2021 | 1.4% of GDP (2021 est.) |
Military Expenditures 2020 | 1.3% of GDP (2020 est.) |
Military Expenditures 2019 | 1.2% of GDP (2019 est.) |
Military Expenditures 2018 | 1.2% of GDP (2018 est.) |
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