Military Rwanda
Military branches:
Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,004,750
females age 16-49: 1,990,935 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,103,823
females age 16-49: 1,096,644 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$53.66 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.9% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Rwanda
Disputes - international:
fighting among ethnic groups - loosely associated political rebels,
armed gangs, and various government forces in Great Lakes region
transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda - abated substantially from a decade ago
due largely to UN peacekeeping, international mediation, and efforts
by local governments to create civil societies; nonetheless, 57,000
Rwandan refugees still reside in 21 African states, including
Zambia, Gabon, and 20,000 who fled to Burundi in 2005 and 2006 to
escape drought and recriminations from traditional courts
investigating the 1994 massacres; the 2005 DROC and Rwanda border
verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides of the
border remains in place
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 41,403 (Democratic Republic of the
Congo), 4,400 (Burundi) (2006)