Lt Gen Innocent Kabandana, a senior officer in the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), has passed away, the RDF said in a statement on Sunday, September 7. ALSO READ: Who is Maj Gen Kabandana, the man leading Rwandan troops in Mozambique? The Rwanda Defence Force is deeply saddened to announce the unfortunate death of Lt Gen Innocent Kabandana, the statement read. He passed away today, 7 September 2025, at the Rwanda Military Referral and Teaching Hospital, following a natural cause. The Rwanda Defence Force extends its condolences and joins the family in mourning during this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace. ALSO READ: Kagame promotes Innocent Kabandana to Lieutenant-General Kabandana had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General by President Paul Kagame in September 2022, after completing his tour of duty in Mozambique, where he was the joint task force commander of the Rwandan Security Forces in Cabo Delgado Province, where they were deployed in July 2021 to battle terrorists. The former RDF Special Forces Commander, fought in the liberation war, from 1990 to 1994, and was among the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) who stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. His career was marked by combat experience, staff training, and peacekeeping roles at tactical and operational levels. Throughout his career, he held multiple senior military and diplomatic roles, including Defence Attaché at Rwanda’s Embassy in Washington, DC, Chief Instructor at Gako Military Academy, Deputy Force Commander with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Chief of Logistics at RDF, Commandant of the Rwanda Peace Academy, and Commander of the Special Forces. Kabandana held a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Oklahoma Christian University, USA.
