Leadership Timeline

Records

James Kabarebe

Rwandan retired general who is Senior Defence and Security Advisor in the Office of the President of Rwanda and a former Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

CurrentLatest source dated 2025-12-02Last reviewed 2026-10-26

What roles did James Kabarebe hold, and when?

Roles in date order

  1. 2023-09
    Special Advisor to the President on Security, Office of the President, Rwanda Former

    Security adviser to President Paul Kagame before returning to cabinet.[1]

  2. 2018-10
    Minister of Defence, Government of Rwanda Former

    Defence minister until replaced in October 2018, per KT Press.[1, 2]

  3. 2023
    General (retired), Rwanda Defence Force Former

    Retired from the RDF less than a month before his September 2023 cabinet appointment.[3, 1]

  4. 1997 to 1998
    Army chief of staff, Armed forces of the DRC (under Laurent-Desire Kabila) Former

    Installed as Congo's army chief of staff after Kabila took power in 1997 and dismissed in 1998, as reported by AP/Africanews.[2]

  5. 2023-10-04 to 2025-12
    Minister of State in charge of Regional Cooperation / Regional Integration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Rwanda Former

    Junior foreign minister responsible for regional cooperation; took over from Prof. Nshuti Manasseh at a handover on 4 October 2023; replaced by Usta Kayitesi in appointments published on 1 December 2025.[3, 4, 1, 5]

  6. 2025-12
    Senior Defence and Security Advisor, Office of the President, Rwanda Current

    Moved to this post in ministerial appointments published by the Office of the Prime Minister on 1 December 2025.[5]

Sources

  1. NEW APPOINTMENTS: Gen (Rtd) Kabarebe Back In Cabinet, Gatare New RDB CEOKT Press, 2023-09-27, secondary source
  2. DR Congo: Rwanda protests U.S. sanctions against top officialAfricanews (AP), 2025-02-22, secondary source
  3. Treasury Sanctions Rwandan Minister and Senior Militant for Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the CongoUS Department of the Treasury, 2025-02-20, primary source
  4. Prof. Manasseh hands over to Gen. (Rtd) KabarebeMinistry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Rwanda, 2023-10-04, primary source
  5. Rwanda: Kagame Makes New Ministerial AppointmentsAllAfrica, 2025-12-02, secondary source

Change history

  • 2026-10-26 Record published.

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