Retired Gen Marcel Gatsinzi was a loving husband and father who died a happy man, his widow has said.

Irene Mukanaho, who was eulogising his late husband during a requiem mass at Regina Pacis Catholic church in Remera, Kigali, Thursday, paid tribute to the late General who she described as a humble family man with strong Christian values.

She said the former Defence minister was also a patriot who loved to serve, was thoughtful, and was never in a hurry to talk.

"Throughout his life, Marcel had many happy moments,” she said. "But, like any other human, he had his own problems and trying times. Yet, in all of these, he remained humble.”

Gen Gatsinzi, who served as minister for defence and disaster preparedness as well as several other top military positions both before and after the Genocide against the Tutsi, died on March 6 in Belgium where he was undergoing treatment for cancer. He was 75.

Gatsinzi, who retired from the military in 2013, was laid to rest at the Kanombe Military Cemetery in the capital Kigali on Thursday, March 16. The ceremony was attended by his family, senior military and government officials, including Defence minister Maj Gen Albert Murasira, Senior Defence and Security Advisor to the President, Gen James Kabarebe, and Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Jean-Bosco Kazura.

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"He always took pleasure in serving the common interest, instead of his own,” Mukanaho said.

"He was never led by emotions and was always understanding, considerate and caring,” she said of her husband who had a stellar career of 45 years in the military, ultimately becoming the first Rwandan to become a four-star general.

"He spoke when it was the right time.”

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Even in retirement, his widow said, Gen Gatsinzi remained ready to serve his country.

Mukanaho expressed gratitude to the country’s leadership, notably President Paul Kagame and the RDF, for standing by the family during the General’s illness and after his death.

"We thank the President and Commander-In-Chief of the RDF, who bestowed trust upon Marcel and gave him a chance to make his contribution to the building of our country,” she said.

"Even in his illness, Marcel did not lack anything. He got all the help he needed and in time. To the ones he has left behind, his colleagues and the President, Marcel passed on with a satisfied heart. When Marcel left us, he had a joyful and happy face.”

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Gen Gatsinzi, who’s survived by his wife and six children, held different high-profile military positions over the years, including Deputy Chief of Staff of the former Rwanda Patriotic Army (now RDF, from 1995-97), and Chief of Gendarmerie (equivalent to present-day Rwanda National Police) from 1997-2000.

Later, he served as Secretary-General of National Intelligence Service (2000-2002) before he was named Defence minister (2002-2010) and then minister for disaster preparedness (2010-2013).

Before joining the RPA in 1994, he had previously headed École des sous-officiers (school for non-commissioned officers) in Huye.

He also served in the African Union Neutral Military Observer Group under the then Organization of African Unity, which was meant to monitor ceasefire during the period of negotiations between the then government of Rwanda and the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) during the liberation war.

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In the early days of the Genocide against the Tutsi, Gatsinzi was named as Chief of Staff of the Forces armées rwandaises (FAR) only to be removed 11 days later (April 6-17). He was then replaced by a hardliner, Gen Augustin Bizimungu, who actively involved the army in the killings. More than a million people were killed in the Genocide before the RPA forces of the RPF took Kigali, with the bulk of the genocidal forces fleeing into the neighbouring DR Congo.

Daniel, Gatsinzi’s son, said of his deceased father: "Our father taught us to love people and to always be thankful. He told us the good things about our country, and especially taught us to serve it.”

"We shall try to walk in his footsteps,” he pledged. "Although his are too big shoes to fill, we shall work selflessly like he did. He has left us with a big family. I know that if my father was here today, his word would have been "Thank you.”