Marcel Gatsinzi

General Marcel Gatsinzi  pronunciation  is a Rwandan soldier and politician, who was Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs. Gatsinzi also served as Rwanda's Minister of Defence from 2002 to 2010.

An ethnic Hutu from Butare, Gatsinzi is a former member of the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), which was the national army prior to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. At the time of the disbanding of FAR his rank was Colonel.

During the genocide, from April 7 to April 17, 1994 he served as Chief of Staff of FAR.

Gatsinzi was appointed Minister of Defence on 15 November 2002, succeeding Brig.-Gen. Emmanuel Habyarimana.

General Gatsinzi was born on January 9, 1948 in Kigali. He started his formal education at Collège Saint-André in Nyamirambo, Kigali, where he graduated with a diploma in 1968. His military career began at the Kigali Military Academy in the same year, and he was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 31 March 1970.

He pursued his military career courses in Belgium at Heverlee(Louvain)in the School of Logistics in 1971 and in Brussels at the Royal High Institute of Defence from 1974 to 1976.

Beside the military assignments in the Rwandese Army, General Marcel GATSINZI (while Colonel) served in the OAU Neutral Military Observer Group set by the Organization of African Unity. that OAU NMOG was meant to moitos the cease fire during the period of the negotiations between the Gorverment and the Rwandese Patriotic Front during the Liberation War in 1990-1993. He also participated in the negotiations process

...
Wikipedia