Rwanda Army - History
The National Guard was established 2 years before independence and obtained its combat experience by repelling several small invasions in 1963 and 1964 by Tutsi who had fled from the country earlier. From this experience the Guard gained a confidence in its ability to handle future emergencies. There erre legislative provisions for compulsory military service, but the number of qualified volunteers for enlistment consistently exceeded requirements. The Guard wss dependent on foreign sources, mostly Belgian, for military equipment. Belgian Army officers and noncommissioned ogiicers (NCO’s) performed training, technical, and advisory functions, thus maintaining adherence to Belgian military procedures and concepts.
During the more than 40 years of Belgian rule, the Administrating Authority utilized detachments of the Belgian Congo police force (Force Publique) to maintain law and order. The force had Belgian officers and Congolese troops. In 1959, as part of the preparation for Congo independence in 1960, the Belgians recruited 35 Rwandans into the force as the initial step in the establishment of the Rwanda National Guard (Garde National). After the additional recruitment of 70 Rwandans, it was planned to recruit 140 more each succeeding year until a total of 1,300 had been trained. In addition, a few Rwandans were selected for training at the Royal Military School in Belgium and the NCO school at Luluabourg in the Belgian Congo.
When it became evident that independence would be achieved, more than 50 Belgian officers and NCO’s were assigned to organize and train the new Guard. The low educational level and a general lack of mechanical and technical skills among the potential recruits required extensive screening in the initial selection program. French was designated as the official language for the Guard, although fewer than 10 percent of the population spoke "French. Training objectives were to develop a number of competent platoon commanders and to impart to the platoons basic infantry skills.
By independence in 1962, small National Guard detachments were stationed in all prefectures (administrative divisions). By late 1963 the Guard had about 950 troops and several Rwandan officers, but Belgian advisers were attached to most units. During late 1963 and early 1964, the Guard‘ successfully repelled a number of poorly organized but potentially dangerous invasion attempts by Tutsi from their refugee areas in Burundi and Rwanda. These were the last serious Tutsi efforts to reclaim power.
The decisive defeats of the Tutsi stimulated the development of an espirt de corps in the Guard and increased its prestige and popularity. The Guard, initially almost exclusively Hutu in both the ranks and the officer corps, shares the general public’s loyalty to and respect for President Kayibanda and willingness to support his government. A military career as either an officer or an enlisted man offered financial benefits and security attainable in few civilian occupations. In addition, while on active duty, military men received technical and general training, which prepared them for civilian occupations upon retirement.
The Minister of Police and National Guard in 1969, Lieutenant Colonel Juvenal Habyarimana, also was Chief of Staff of the National Guard with headquarters at Kigali. The General Staff included a Secretary General; Chiefs of Personnel, Intelligence, Operations, and Materiel Sections; and a Belgian Aviation Adviser. Among support facilities were a National Guard Officers’School at Kigali, a Non-Cormnissioned Officers’ School at Butare, and the Kigali Logistical Base. A small Belgian Aviation unit provided maintenance and supply functions.
In early 1969 rifle companies were stationed at Gako, Butare, Cyangugu, Gisenyi, and Kibungo. Platoons were rotated to Kagitumba, Nyagetare, Bugarama, and Nshili, and independent rifle platoons were garrisoned at Byumba, Gitarama, Kibuye, Nyanza, and Ruhengeri. A Kanombe-based Intervention Group with three companies and one support company constituted a standby reserve force capable of deploying to augment the border-based units. Police detachments could be utilized to reinforce the National Guard units, and reserve units could also be mobilized under Presidential decree.
Initial enlistment in the National Guard was for 4 years. Volunteers must be bachelors and must remain single until they were either eligible for reenlistment or have been promoted to commissioned or warrant officer status. Enlistments may be extended during periods of hostilities or upon declarations of national emergencies. Exceptionally qualified NCO’s and technical specialists were screened for career enlistment contracts upon the completion of their second reenlistment period.
Candidates for officer training must possess a superior school diploma (education beyond the 9 years of primary and middle schools), pass the written entrance examination, and favorably impress the candidate selection board. Candidates must also pass both oral and written French-language entrance requirements. The annual officer candidate classes were limited to fewer than 20 members, which resulted in the selection of only the best qualified applicants. Candidates qualified but not selected for the class beginning on August 1, 1967, were offered the opportunity to enter the Na tional Police School at Ruhengeri for training in a career as police officers.
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