Rwanda

Republic of Rwanda

The present day Republic of Rwanda (République du Rwanda) was originally inhabited by the Twa people, but a series of migrations beginning in 700 BCE brought the Hutu and Tutsi tribes into the region. The Kingdom of Banyarwanda (or Kingdom of Rwanda) was founded by the Tutsi in the 15th century and reigned over the surrounding region into the 19th century, when pressure from European colonial powers forced the kingdom into decline. By the terms of the Berlin Conference, a territory known as Ruanda-Urundi (comprising present day Rwanda and neighboring Burundi) was established and placed under the administration of Germany as part of German East Africa. Following the First World War, the territory came under Belgian administration as part of a mandate from the League of Nations in 1919. Both nations perpetuated the historic class system which favored the Tutsi, a policy that would cause resentment and ultimately lead to ethnic violence that would plague the region into the late 20th century.

As most African nations moved towards independence in the 1950s, two rival groups emerged in Rwanda: a Tutsi-supported movement advocating maintenance of the status quo, and a Hutu-dominated movement which sought an end to what they viewed as Tutsi-feudalism. Belgium ultimately supported the Hutu movement and tensions rose between the tribal factions, culminating in the Rwandan Revolution or "wind of destruction" which raged from 1959 into the 1960s and resulted in tens of thousands of Tutsis killed and many more seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Belgian military intervention prevented further violence, and in 1962 the traditional monarchy was abolished, Rwanda and Burundi became separate nations, and democratic elections were held. Cycles of violence would continue until 1973, when Juvénal Habyarimana staged a military coup d'etat and assumed the presidency. During his reign, violence against the Tutsis declined considerably and the nation improved its economic status.

The Rwandan Civil War was sparked by an invasion of northern Rwanda in 1990 by militant Tutsi refugees operating under the name Front Patriotique Rwandaise or Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Supported by France and later by Zaire the Rwandan Armed Forces initially quelled the insurrection, but as RPF numbers increased the government was forced into a stalemate. A brief cease fire was negotiated in 1993, but it ended when president Habyarimana's plane was shot down in 1994 by unknown perpetrators, and the Hutu population subsequently placing blame on the Tutsi. What transpired after was one of the worst periods of genocide in recent African history, with between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Rwandans (mostly Tutsi) killed and many more horribly maimed in a wave of violence orchestrated by Hutu extremists known as the Akazu. The RPF renewed their military offensive, methodically taking control of the nation until achieving victory in July of 1994. International response to the genocide was very limited and has been highly criticized.

A transitional government under Pasteur Bizimungu faced immediate problems as hundreds of thousands of Hutus fled to neighboring countries (in particular Zaire) fearing reprisals from the new RPF-dominated government. Many died of disease languishing in refugee camps, and more were killed when the newly formed Rwandan Defense Forces launched cross-border operations against the camps. A period of reconciliation and justice followed, with a new constitution ratified and the reintroduction of a traditional village court system.

The Forces Armées Rwandaises (Rwandan Armed Forces) or FAR was the national army's name from 1960 to 1994, during which time the government and the military were dominated by the Hutu tribe. Consisting of a national Army of approximately 7,000 personnel, and a national Gendarmerie of around 1,200, the Army was populated by several units with "elite" status, including the Presidential Guard, Para-Commando Battalion, and a Reconnaissance Battalion. Following the RPF invasion in 1990, the FAR received considerable assistance from France and increased in size to as many as 30,000 personnel.

After the Rwandan government's defeat in 1994 by the RPF, the armed forces were reformed as the Forces Rwandaises de Défense or Rwanda Defense Forces, composed mostly of ex-members of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Since 1994, a large number of ex-FAR members have been integrated into the new Defense Forces, including a number of former officers appointed to high-ranking positions. The main elements of the RDF are the Army, Air Force, and Reserve Force. In June 2000, what remained of the Gendarmerie was merged with the Provincial Police and the Communal Police to form the new Rwandan National Police (Polisi Y'u Rwanda).

Rwandan Camouflage Patterns

• Contemporary records show that during the initial period of post-independence and for several decades after, units of the FAR that wore camouflage were issued with ex-Belgian Army jigsaw pattern uniforms, or with copies produced by Asian factories. These were probably limited in use to the Presidential Guard, and elite units such as the Para-Commandos and Reconnaissance Battalion. Limited use of jigsaw camouflage uniforms extended into the early 1990s.

• First observed around the year 1990, copies of the old French tenue de leópard or lizard pattern, as well as a more modern version produced in Asia, were fielded by the FAR and by members of the RPF during the civil war period and for a short period of time thereafter.

• Presumably introduced in 1993 or 1994, airborne and commando units of the FAR wore a unique DPM-based camouflage design inccorporating reddish-brown and mid-green disruptive shapes on a pale green background. This "sparse DPM" pattern with semi-arid colorway, of South Korean origin, also saw limited use by PLAN in South West Africa.

• Also dating to the 1993-1994 period, the units of the FAR can be seen wearing this unusual leaf-woodland hybrid pattern. The design features some elements found in typical leaf designs, but also incorporates completely unique shapes such as small "islands" of color within both lighter or darker backgrounds. The color palette of this design is black, dark brown, and deep green, with a pale green base.

• During the Civil War, a large quantity of surplus East German strichtarn or rain pattern camouflage uniforms were obtained to outfit the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPF), which had limited access to combat uniforms of the FAR as well as some commercial clothing. These uniforms continued to see use in the newly formed Rwandan Defense Force (FRD) for a short period of time.

• Several variations of the US m81 woodland camouflage pattern have been in use with the FRD since 1997 or so. The earliest of these featured the usual black and brown shapes with a brighter green over almost lime green base color. A second version appeared right around the 2000-2001 time frame and utilized the same color palette as the original American m81 design; this remained in service for several years. A few years later, still another variation appeared that seemed to replace the earlier iterations, this one having a much lighter shade of brown and areas of khaki that were often very sparse. This was followed by another slight modification in color, probably from another textile manufacturer. Both of the later types remained in service with the RDF until the adoption of pixelated camouflage in 2015.

• Rwandan troops deploying to the Sudan with the AU in 2004 were issued a "chocolate chip" camouflage variant featuring black & white "chips" over chocolate brown, burnt orange, & pinkish-tan shapes on a sandy background. Those personnel deployed in 2007 wore a similar design, with slighly modified color palette incorporating a shade of brownish-grey.

• Made specifically for the Rwanda Defence Force, the pattern below seems to be a pixelated version of the standard woodland design previously issued. This pattern began replacing the old version in 2015.

• Another pixelated camouflage design adopted by Rwanda is this copy of the USMC MARPAT temperate design, worn by members of the elite Republican Guard. Use of the pattern was first documented in 2017, but may have appeared earlier.

Para-Military Organizations Camouflage

• Rwanda has two national parks and one protected forest region which are protected by laws and enforced by park rangers. The Akagera National Park rangers wear a mottled green-brown camouflage pattern on field deployments, while the rangers working in the Volcanoes National Park wear a not-entirely dissimilar design with more brownish tones.

Non-standard and Foreign Camouflage Worn in Rwanda

• The Rwandan Patriotic Front had strong ties to Uganda beginning in the 1950s, when many Tutsi refugees fled to the neighboring country to escape ethnic violence. When the RPF was forging itself as a viable military entity, it was the Ugandan sources that supplied it with war materiel, including obsolete Ugandan Army camouflage uniforms such as the blotch pattern seen here.