Maj Gen Emmy Ruvusha will replace Maj Gen Alex Kagame as the commander of the Rwanda Security Forces (RSF) in Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado.

The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) said this on Tuesday, August 20, in a statement announcing the deployment of a relief force to Cabo Delgado.

Since late August 2023, Ruvusha has been the commander of the RDF Division 1, which covers Kigali and Eastern Province.

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Kagame, who replaced Maj Gen Eugene Nkubito, has been the commander of the RSF Joint Task Force in Mozambique since August last year.

Rwanda first deployed soldiers and police officers to Mozambique in July 2021, at the request of Maputo, to restore security and state authority in Cabo Delgado, a region on the coast of the Indian Ocean which had been ravaged by an Islamic State-linked insurgency since 2017.

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"Over the past three years, Rwanda Security Forces in collaboration with Mozambique armed forces have achieved remarkable success in dismantling Al Sunna Wa Jama (ASWJ) terrorist group from their strongholds [and] defensive position in Mocimboa da Praia and Palma,” the RDF said on Tuesday.

"This has enabled a significant number of internally displaced people to safely return to their villages.”

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By December 2023, more than 250,000 internally displaced people had returned to their homes in the affected districts.

The newly deployed troops who departed Kigali International Airport on Tuesday, were briefed by RDF Army Chief of Staff Maj Gen Vincent Nyakarundi and Commissioner of Police Vincent Sano, the Rwanda National Police (RNP) Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations.

The troops will replace the force that has been in Cabo Delgado for the past one year of duty, the RDF said.

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Speaking to the troops before their departure, Nyakarundi underlined the importance of maintaining discipline and momentum that the Rwanda Security Forces achieved over the past three years in Mozambique, according to the statement.

Sano urged the force to always foster teamwork and avoid mistakes that tarnish Rwanda&039;s reputation.