The Rwandan Defence Force (RDF, Kinyarwanda: Ingabo z'u Rwanda, French: Forces rwandaises de défense, Swahili: Nguvu ya Ulinzi ya Watu wa Rwanda) is the military of the Rwanda. Prior to 1994, Rwanda's military was officially known as the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), but following the Rwandan Civil War and the Rwandan genocide, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) renamed it the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), which was the military wing of the RPF. In late 1994, the military was rebuilt and reorganized as the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF).
The RDF is organized into three service branches: Rwandan Land Force, Rwandan Air Force and Rwandan Reserve Force. After the RPF conquered the country in July 1994 in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, the RPF decided to reform solely as Rwanda's ruling political party and separate from its military wing, where the latter would serve as the country's official military.
Defence spending continues to represent an important share of the national budget, largely due to continuing security problems along Rwanda's frontiers with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, and lingering concerns about Uganda's intentions towards its former ally.
The RDF has been engaged in a low-level insurgency from Rwandan rebels based in eastern Congo, primarily the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), since the late 1990s. The RDF is regularly deployed in peacekeeping missions in Africa, as Rwanda is currently one of the largest contributors of personnel on UN missions.
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