Rwanda:
Military & Transnational Issues


Military branches	Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force
Military service age and obligation	16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service	males age 16-49: 2,004,750 females age 16-49: 1,990,935 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service	males age 16-49: 1,103,823 females age 16-49: 1,096,644 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.9% (2006 est.)

Disputes - international	fighting among ethnic groups - loosely associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces in Great Lakes region transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda - abated substantially from a decade ago due largely to UN peacekeeping, international mediation, and efforts by local governments to create civil societies; nonetheless, 57,000 Rwandan refugees still reside in 21 African states, including Zambia, Gabon, and 20,000 who fled to Burundi in 2005 and 2006 to escape drought and recriminations from traditional courts investigating the 1994 massacres; the 2005 DROC and Rwanda border verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides of the border remains in place
Refugees and internally displaced persons	refugees (country of origin): 41,403 (Democratic Republic of the Congo), 4,400 (Burundi) (2006)