Marcel Gatsinzi () is a

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

n soldier and politician, who was Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs from 2010 to 2013. Gatsinzi also served as Rwanda's

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

from 2002 to 2010. An ethnic

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the prin ...

from

Butare Butare (), also known as Huye, is a city (population: 50,220 as of 2012) in the Southern Province of Rwanda and the capital of Huye district. It is the fourth largest town in Rwanda by population. History The Belgian colonial rulers establishe ...

, Gatsinzi is a former member of the

Rwandan Armed Forces french: Forces rwandaises de défense sw, Nguvu ya Ulinzi ya Watu wa Rwanda , image = Rwanda Defense Force emblem.png , alt = , caption = , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 ...

(FAR), which was the national army prior to the takeover of Rwanda by the

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...

(RPF) during the 1994

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

Biography

General Gatsinzi was born on 9 January 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 Rwandan Army, Colonel Gatsinzi served in the OAU Neutral Military Observer Group set by the

Organization of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

. That OAU NMOG was meant to monitor the cease fire during the period of the negotiations between the Government and the RPF during the

Rwandan Civil War The Rwandan Civil War was a large-scale civil war in Rwanda which was fought between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the country's government, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) from 1October 1990 to 18 July 1994. The war arose ...

(1990–1994). He also participated in the negotiations process. During the genocide, from 6 to 17 April 1994 he served as Army Chief of Staff of the FAR. Because he advocated a more moderate approach and opposed expansion of the genocide, Gatsinzi was removed from the post and was replaced by

Augustin Bizimungu Augustin Bizimungu (born 28 August 1952) is a former general of the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR). On 16 April 1994, at the start of the Rwandan genocide, he was appointed chief of staff of the army and promoted to the rank of major general. Biograph ...

. Afterwards he was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and assigned to negotiate with the RPF and "other duties that did not involve direct command of troops".

After the genocide

Because of his resistance to the genocide and willingness to negotiate with the RPF, he was integrated into the

Rwandan Patriotic Army french: Forces rwandaises de défense sw, Nguvu ya Ulinzi ya Watu wa Rwanda , image = Rwanda Defense Force emblem.png , alt = , caption = , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 ...

shortly after their taking power. He was appointed chief of staff of the gendarmerie in 1997.Guichaoua, André, "Gouvernements, Répresentation Politique, Principaux Corps D'État, Institutions de la Société Civile," Paris, 2000. Gatsinzi has held various political and military appointments with the following as his main career highlights: * Deputy Chief of Staff of Rwanda Patriotic Army from 1995-1997 * Chief of Staff of the National Gendarmerie from 1997-2000 * Secretary General of the National Security Service from 2000 to 2002 * Minister of Defence on 15 November 2002 * Re-appointed Minister of Defence on 19 October 2003 till 10 April 2010 * Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs from 2010 to 2013 Gatsinzi holds a series of honorific military medal awards. Gatsinzi was appointed Minister of Defence on 15 November 2002, succeeding Brig.-Gen. Emmanuel Habyarimana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gatsinzi, Marcel Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Government ministers of Rwanda Rwandan generals Defence ministers of Rwanda Hutu people People from Butare