Chief of Defence Staff (Rwanda) explained

The Chief of the Defence Staff is the highest-ranked officer in the Rwanda Defence Force.

Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army

	Portrait	Name	Term of office
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army
1		Major general Déogratias Nsabimana	April 1992	6 April 1994 †
2		Colonel Marcel Gatsinzi	7 April 1994	17 April 1994		[1]
3		Major general Augustin Bizimungu	17 April 1994	July 1994		[2] [3]

Chief of Defence Staff of the Rwandan Patriotic Army/Rwanda Defense Force

	Portrait	Name	Term of office
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
Chief of Defence Staff
1		Major general Sam Kanyemera		1998		[4]
2		Lieutenant general Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa	1998	2002	years
3		General James Kabarebe	October 2002	10 April 2010
4		Lieutenant general Charles Kayonga	April 2010	June 2013
5		General Patrick Nyamvumba	22 June 2013	4 November 2019		[5]
6		General Jean Bosco Kazura	4 November 2019	5 June 2023		[6]
7		Lieutenant-General Mubarak Muganga	5 June 2023	Incumbent		[7]

Notes and References

1. Book: Guichaoua . André . From War to Genocide: Criminal Politics in Rwanda, 1990–1994 . 2015 . University of Wisconsin Press . 9780299298203 . 159, 212 . en.
2. Book: Dallaire, Roméo . . 292–293 . Ch. 11: To Go or To Stay?.
3. Book: Alison Des Forges

   . Des Forges . Alison . Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda – Extending the Genocide → Removing Dissenters . March 1999 . . 1-56432-171-1 . New York . Alison Des Forges.

4. News: Times Reporter . 14 August 2007 . Mukezamfura speaks out on General Kaka . newtimes.co.rw . 11 March 2021.
5. Web site: Leaders . Sep 6, 2019 . mod.gov.rw.
6. Munyaneza, J. (2019) 'General Kazura Replaces General Nyamvumba as Kagame Shakes Up Top Military Brass', The New Times (Kigali), 5 November 2019,
7. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/8055/news/security/marizamunda-is-new-defence-minister-as-gen-muganga-becomes-army-chief