This report was written by a Rwandan researcher, working with War Resisters' International and Connection e.V.
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Rwanda is a landlocked African country with a recent history of war and conflict. In 1990, a rebel army, formed by mostly exiled Tutsi refugees, attacked the regular army from Uganda. The war lasted four years and the rebel group, the Rwandese Patriotic Front, took control of the country and ended the genocide of 1994. Its military branch, the Rwandese Patriotic Army, integrated some of the regular defeated army and became the Rwanda Defence Forces.
This report examines barriers to leaving the armed forces in Rwanda over the past decade. It is based on the testimonies of former soldiers who have deserted the army (we use 'respondent a, b, c and d' to designate them. Anonymity is important for their security). We find that:
generally, soldiers recruited between 1990 and 2012 were not given employment contracts
anyone recruited in this period (including those still in the armed forces currently) have no clear process for leaving the military
for soldiers recruited in this period still in the military, ability to leave the military is at the discretion of commanding officers
the consequences of desertion can be grave, yet difficulties in finding lawful ways to leave the army mean that desertion remains the only option for many
the right of conscientious objection to military service is not respected.
