Gabon coup: Cameroon, Rwanda reshuffle military hierarchy

Cameroon and Rwanda have made some changes to their military architecture in what appeared as a reaction to the military coup that overthrew President Ali Bongo from power in Gabon.

President Paul Kagame, 65, who has been in power since 2000, has approved the retirement of several Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) generals.

This was disclosed in a statement shared by the RDF via its official account on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday night.

Among those retired by the president was the Senior Presidential Advisor on Security Matters, Gen. James Kabarebe.

Other senior military officers were Fred Ibingira, Charles Kayonga, Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, Martin Nzaramba, Eric Murokore, Augustin Turagara, Charles Karamba, Albert Murasira, Chris Murari, Didace Ndahiro, and Emmanuel Ndahiro.

Also in Cameroon, President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1975, decided to reshuffle the country’s military with new appointments.

This was made known in an official document shared on the Twitter account of the 90-year-old president.

The document was written in French, the official language of communication in Cameroon.

The Star recalls that the military leaders in Gabon, in the early hours of Wednesday, August 30, 2023, announced they had seized power, days after the central African nation’s presidential election which confirmed President Bongo’s third term.

The military officers also declared they had put President Bongo under house arrest.

The coup in Gabon was the latest in a series of military coups that have seen democratically elected leaders removed from the seat of power in Niger Republic, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau.

The Star