President and Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), Paul Kagame, on June 8 appointed Lt. Col. Simon Kabera as deputy military spokesperson.

A Ministry of Defence statement indicated that the appointment takes immediate effect.

Kabera will be deputy to Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga who became defence and military spokesperson in December 2020.

Kabera, 50, is a recipient of the National Liberation Medal, the Campaign against Genocide Medal, Combat Action Medal, Foreign Campaign Medal, Presidential Inauguration Medal, Peace Support Operations Medal, and Community Service Ribbons, among others.

He is married and has three children.

Kabera served in several command and staff responsibilities both at the Junior and Senior Officer Levels. Before his appointment as deputy military spokesperson, he was the head of the goods procurement section at the Ministry of Defence. His other postings include Legal Specialist, Litigation and Contract Drafting, Chief Public Information (PIO) at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Litigation Officer Company Commander, and Directing Staff, at Rwanda Military Academy (RMA) in Gako.

He holds a Masters in International Law and European Law (Amsterdam-Netherlands); a Masters in Science of Defence and International Politics (Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration); and a Bachelor’s Degree of Law (University of Rwanda), among others.

His military qualifications include a Senior Command and Staff Course (Ghana), an International Liaison Officer course (Israel), a Company Commander’s Course (Rwanda), a Platoon Commander’s Course (Rwanda), and a Cadet Course (Rwanda).