Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe once recalled that had President Paul Kagame not stepped in at that critical moment, the liberation struggle might have ended entirely, as the army had just lost its commander.
Reflecting on those early days, Gen (Rtd) Fred Ibingira also emphasized that Kagame's decision to take command became a turning point that ultimately led them to victory.
'The man found us in Kagitumba, each of us looking for a way to flee again […] the war had overwhelmed us. Soon, he arrived and found everyone wide-eyed, discouraged, and demoralized,' he noted.
President Kagame himself, also reflected on the situation described by Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe and Gen (Rtd) Fred Ibingira.
He highlighted that the state in which he found the soldiers may have been among the worst things he has ever witnessed in his life, alongside the Genocide against the Tutsi.
In the book A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It by Stephen Kinzer, it is noted that Kagame was deeply shaken by what he saw when he arrived at the battlefield.
In a series of interviews the author held with President Kagame in 2006 and 2007, he said: 'It was totally disorganized. The first sight was probably the worst I have ever seen, that and the genocide; things that have made a mark in my life, my mind, things that probably changed my life forever.These two things never go away. I live with them. . . .,' he said.
At that time, President Kagame said he immediately called commanders for a meeting to decide how the war could continue.
'They were terribly demoralized, even that was an understatement. They were not even thinking. It was a devastation,' he said.
The book titled,The Struggle for Liberation: War and Militarism in African History by John Burton Kegel, shows that there were many reasons proving Kagame was the only one capable of restoring the army's confidence and keeping the liberation struggle alive.
Beyond that, his experience working in military intelligence within the Ugandan army gave him exceptional access to information that others could not obtain, a critical advantage for the campaign launched by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) and its army wing, RPA.
Admiration in the Ugandan army
Besides being known in the RPA as a man who did not tolerate mistakes and as someone with deep military knowledge, Lt Gen (Rtd) Caesar Kayizari once said Kagame had already built a strong reputation in Uganda's National Resistance Army (NRA).
His track record on the battlefield was so solid that whenever there was a problem, people trusted things would be resolved if he showed up.
He said, 'Even in the NRA they used to say, 'If Kagame has come, everything will be solved.''
Kagame's return from the United States brought a turning point in the liberation struggle. The RPA shifted from conventional warfare to guerrilla and mobile warfare.
Gen (Rtd) Kabarebe once explained it clearly: "At first, we engaged in conventional warfare, fighting almost like terrorists. Habyarimana's forces would take positions on hills with anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, tanks, ambushes and air support, while we advanced with our small arms confidently, until we reached their heavy weapons. Many died. This was in Mutara, a wide-open area, where you could be targeted from three to four kilometers away before even getting close.'
"That's why the Zairians said the RPA were terrorists […] and frankly, it was true at the time. The Commander-in-Chief changed the tactics from conventional warfare to guerrilla and mobile warfare, hit-and-run attacks, striking the enemy where he least expects, firing from where he cannot see you, hitting at night, at dawn, on the move, confusing the enemy.'
The first operation under this new tactic was the attack on Gatuna in early November, led by Col (Rtd) Twahirwa Ludovic, known as Dodo.
It was a highly organized assault that greatly boosted morale among the troops, especially those who were just entering the battle and had not witnessed the chaos of the early days.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/how-kagame-rebuilt-a-demoralized-army-upon-his-return-from-the-u-s
