Addressing more than 6,000 soldiers, police officers, and prison officers at the Gabiro combat training centre in Eastern Province on Monday, August 25, 2025, Kagame praised their hard work and sacrifice, calling it essential to Rwanda's continued strength.
He reminded them that Rwanda's history, marked by both tragedy and resilience, has proven one key lesson: Rwanda will never disappear.
Kagame dismissed those who act as though they 'created' Rwanda, stressing that external assistance can only complement, but never replace, Rwandans' own efforts.
'This means that we, as a people, chart our own path and sustain ourselves. Even when support comes from outside, it should only add to what we already have â€" it can never replace it. It cannot take away the right we hold over who we are. It simply complements our own efforts, and for that, we may indeed thank those who provide it,' he said.
The President underscored the duty of the RDF to shield citizens from 'predators' who try to seize what belongs to them. He noted that every three to five years Rwanda faces new external threatsâ€"not because it provokes others, but because hostility is imposed upon it.
Kagame said that Rwanda never provokes others; however, whenever a threat arises against the country, its army must be present and ready to fight.
He said, 'And fighting means there will be deaths and injuries, but the objective is not to kill or to wound â€" except when others refuse to understand Rwanda, do not care for it, and instead wage war against it. That is when the profession fulfills its true duty. At that point, war must be fought.'
The head of State reminded the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) that whenever it becomes necessary to enter a war, it must be a guiding principle that they prevail. War, he said, cannot be fought with hesitation or pity, but must be carried through to the end â€" until Rwanda's enemies regret ever having started it.
Those who wish Rwanda harm have often threatened to attack, to overthrow the existing leadership, and to install whoever they please, deciding who should live and who should die.
President Kagame cautioned: 'We must always remain prepared, because we do not know where an enemy may come from, nor when they may choose to strike.'
What it takes to confront Rwanda's enemies
President Kagame emphasized that confronting those who seek to harm Rwanda requires much of its citizens. It begins with a clear understanding of one's responsibilities, working with diligence and commitment even in difficult times, and joining efforts with fellow Rwandans.
He added that this must be reinforced by discipline, which ensures that individuals remain attentive to their duties and committed to fulfilling them.
The President further stressed that once Rwandan soldiers acquire knowledge, they must put it into practice by mastering the use of equipment in confronting the enemy.
'If it is about using a gun, you must learn to use it properly so that you can shoot the enemy â€" the one who has brought war against you. It is not simply about pulling the trigger and firing bullets at random. That is not fighting,' he said.
Kagame continued: 'Every bullet must carry the name of its intended target. When you aim, it must hit. If you shoot once, twice, three times without striking the target, then there is a problem â€" either with your training or with you.'
He noted that if a soldier wastes ten bullets just to hit a single target, sustaining such a war would be impossible because ammunition is costly.
'Some ammunition is expensive nowadays. There are projectiles that can cost up to $3,000 or even $5,000 each. If you are meant to hit a target in the sky and you miss once at $5,000, then again at $5,000, and again â€" that's already $15,000 wasted. How can you fight a war like that? Where will those resources come from? In that case, you are only helping the enemy,' Kagame said.
President Kagame urged the Rwanda Defence Force to master precision and make effective use of the equipment available to them, rather than relying on superstition.
He warned that hesitation or misplaced beliefs could cost lives: 'If someone convinces you that unseen forces will guide your bullet, what they are really doing is preparing the coffin you'll be buried in.'
He reminded the soldiers that failing to fulfill their duty not only endangers their own lives but also those they are tasked with protecting, handing them over to the enemy.
Kagame further noted that while some people attack Rwanda without reason, there are others with whom Rwanda has genuine, unresolved grievances â€" such as the Interahamwe militia that devastated the nation during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
'You often hear about the FDLR and their supporters â€" with them, we truly have unfinished business. But their backers are simply enemies creating problems for us. They are the ones who openly declare, without any shame, that they intend to harm us,' Kagame said.
Double standards
Kagame cautioned against those who distort Rwanda's past, particularly attempts to deny or rewrite the truth about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
He recalled how, even at the UN, some denied a genocide was happening, portraying it instead as 'Rwandans killing each other' to cover up the international community's complicity.
On eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kagame noted that while the M23 movement has restored stability in areas it controls, Rwanda is unfairly blamed.
'It is not that the facts are different, but powerful countries and some media insist on portraying the problem as if it were M23, AFC, or RDF. If RDF were really there, what they claim is not what RDF would be doing,' he said.
He questioned why RDF is vilified while groups like the FDLR and Wazalendo, which kill Congolese civilians, are sanitized.
Rwanda's contribution to global peace
Kagame emphasized that Rwanda has not only focused on defending itself but has also supported peace efforts in countries including Mozambique, the Central African Republic and South Sudan
'Even in eastern Congo, if they had sought our support, we would have provided it. [...] If they want us to work together to maintain security on both sides, that has always been our goal.'
Countering false narratives
President Kagame urged members of the security forces to actively counter those who defame Rwanda, particularly on social media, stressing that no one should be exempt from being challenged.
'If they fail and instead resort to war, then you respond with force. But do not tire yourselves with unnecessary worry. Rwanda will never go out to provoke wars in other countries. We are not aggressors â€" but we are fighters. Whether we fight or not depends on where the war comes from, how it begins, and what it means for us,' he said.
He further reminded the security organs that fulfilling their duties effectively also requires taking care of their own well-being, supported by the country's leadership structures.
IGIHE
