Yoweri Museveni Retires Senior Military Officers Amid Rising Coups In Africa

• Perhaps stung by the ongoing military coups d'état in parts of Africa, Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced major changes in the security forces
• Later, Yoweri Museveni took to his official Twitter handle to congratulate and send off retiring generals from the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF)
• During the event at State House, Entebbe, Yoweri Museveni also commended the UPDF officers for their longtime contribution to the country's struggle

Entebbe, Uganda - Just like his Rwandan and Cameroon counterparts, President Yoweri Museveni has made key changes to his military.

On Thursday, August 31, Museveni took to his official Twitter handle to congratulate and send off retiring generals from the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF).

During the event at State House, Entebbe, Museveni also commended the officers for their longtime contribution to the country's struggle.

"The stories of these retiring generals mirror the miraculous story of the NRA struggle. We fought for a just cause, combining the correctness of the strategy and the tactics, doing it correctly without making mistakes, always taking scientific steps, and avoiding anything adventurous," Museveni said.

What Museveni told the retiring generals

Museveni, who has been in power since early 1986, said their retirement should not be regarded as a redundancy but a mutation from one service to another.

"In the past, they were working for the country only, but now they can work for themselves with the entandikwa (fresh start) that the country they fought for has given them. I wish them success in the next phase of their lives," Museveni tweeted.

Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported that perhaps stung by the ongoing military coups d'état in parts of West and Central Africa, President Paul Kagame announced major changes in the security forces.

The changes made by Kagame on Wednesday, August 30, affected high-ranking military personnel.

How many military officers did Kagame retire

Kagame retired hundreds of soldiers in a move that followed the promotions of several young soldiers in the country’s security apparatus and the appointments of new generals to head army divisions stationed in different parts of the country.

A statement by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) showed Kagame had “approved the retirement of a dozen generals, 83 senior officers and six junior officers.”

Kagame also authorised the retirement of 86 senior non-commissioned officers, the statement said.

How Paul Biya reshuffled his military

This came even as President Paul Biya of Cameroon, the world's oldest serving leader and Africa's second-longest serving head of state, decreed changes to his military.

Before the changes, soldiers grabbed power from President Ali Bongo in Gabon.

A statement posted on the 90-year-old head of state's official Twitter handle showed that he made significant changes in the Ministry of Defence.

Biya, who has been Cameroon's president since 1982, appointed personnel for the internal and external services of the ministry.

Before assuming office, Biya served as the prime minister from 1975 to 1982.