Rwanda’s ambitions as a security provider in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

In recent years, Rwanda has been punching above its weight as a security partner in Sub-Saharan Africa, supplying soldiers for multilateral peacekeeping operations and deploying its armed forces to participate in conflicts at the requests of the governments of Benin, the Central African Republic and Mozambique. These efforts are part of an attempt by long-time President Paul Kagame to overcome the country’s relative structural weaknesses in terms of its size and resources and to position himself as a capable leader.