President Kagame Appoints Brig. Gen. Patrick Karuretwa as RDF Spokesperson

By The Inspirer.

President Paul Kagame, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), has appointed Brigadier General Patrick Karuretwa as the new spokesperson of the national army.

The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

According to the statement, Brig. Gen. Karuretwa will assume the role of RDF spokesperson while maintaining his current position as Director General for International Military Cooperation at the Ministry of Defence.

He replaces Brig. Gen. Ronald Rwivanga, who was recently appointed Commander of the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), a regional force mandated to respond to security and humanitarian emergencies across Eastern Africa.

Brig. Gen. Karuretwa is a senior military officer with extensive experience in defence diplomacy and international military cooperation. His appointment comes as Rwanda continues to strengthen its engagement in regional security frameworks and peace support operations.