Alert, tough, polite, and diplomatic, are some of the words that could best describe Maj Gen Innocent Kabandana, the joint task force commander of Rwandan troops in Mozambique’s northernmost province, Cabo Delgado, where they were deployed last month to battle terrorists.
The former Commandant of Rwanda Military Academy, together with Mozambique's Maj Gen Cristóvão Artur Chume, joint force commander of the Mozambique Armed Defence Forces (FADM), orchestrated the purging of terrorists from nearly 90 percent of the Province of Cabo Delgado, in the last 30 days.
Barely a month after his deployment in Mozambique's northern most Province, the strategic port city of Mocimboa da Praia which was the headquarters of the terrorists was captured as the terrorists fled.
Rwandan and Mozambican troops on August 8 captured Mocimboa da Praia, a city that had been the headquarters of the Islamic State-linked terrorist group since 2015.
Kabandana, a former Rwandan special forces Commander is a no-nonsense soldier who holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Oklahoma Christian University, USA.
This reporter first met him in Mocimboa da Praia, a day after its capture, and again on August 12 – at another Rwandan troops’ remote outpost in Mueda district.
On both occasions, he looked down-to-earth and spoke with great poise.
"We have been working together with the Rwandan troops for almost a month now and we see progress," Chume said on August 9, accompanied by his Rwandan counterpart.
"Rwanda has brave soldiers, the same way Mozambique has brave soldiers. And our actions talk more than words," Chume added, apparently shedding more light on who his counterpart is – brave.
The Mozambican General was seated next to his Rwandan counterpart, under a huge tree, a few meters from the partly charred Mocimboa da Praia aerodrome’s main building.
Both men wore spectacles and looked sharp. Beyond the tree’s shade, heavily armed soldiers from both countries stood guard in the scorching Cabo Delgado sun.
Kabandana is one of those senior Rwandan officers who joined the military in 1990 and rose through the ranks to his current level.
He played a part in Rwanda’s liberation struggle, from 1990 to 1994 and is among the combatants that stopped the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
By and large, Kabandana cuts the poise of an efficient, direct, and quite tough commander who will get the job done. Among others, he has combat, command, staff training and peacekeeping experience at tactical and operational levels. In the past, he also served as Defence Attache’ to the Embassy of Rwanda, Washington DC.
His other previous key appointments include being a Brigade staff officer in charge of Civil Military Affairs, Chief Instructor at Rwanda Military Academy in Gako, and Deputy Chief Military Personnel Officer in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan UNMISS Sudan.
He was also once the Chairman of the Military Tender Board: Chief of Logistics, RDF HQ; Commandant of Rwanda Military Academy and Director of Rwanda Peace Academy.