allAfrica.com * Military Spending Going Down, New Figures Show Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali) NEWS 12 June 2008 Posted to the web 12 June 2008 Kigali Government budgetary allocations to defense have been steadily going down - dropping by more than 30% between 1998 and 2007, new figures from a panel of experts indicate. According to the Swedish Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute - SIPRI - in 1999, government spent $69.7million which has since spiked down to $47.8 million (Rwf 26.3 billion) in the last financial year. The national budget for 2007 was Rwf 242 billion. The figures from the organization that conducts scientific research into questions of conflict and cooperation also show that for 2001, defense expenditure was at $60.6 million. The following year it moved to $57.1, which again trickled down to $53.3 million in the financial year 2003. The trend remained the same up to 2005. Though the budgetary figures slightly shot up between 2005 and 2006, they again went back to the downward drop. The new information is contained in the Institute's annual report - Yearbook 2008 released on Monday that compiles military expenditures for all countries. The U.S. stands out as the biggest spender. Rwanda, when put together with its neighbours does not seem to be spending so much in relation to GDP. Instead, Burundi - that has been in chaos for years - only recovering recently - put 7.3 percent of its resources into the army for 2003. The other countries range between 1.5 and 2%. Between 1994 and 2000, President Paul Kagame served as Defense Minister and Vice-President under his predecessor Pasteur Bizimungu. The figures analysed by RNA from a comprehensive SIPRI database going back to 1988 also indicate that after the post-Genocide government came to power, defense spending rose steadily up to 1999. In 1994, the authorities spent just $22.4 - but that doubled the next year. In 1998 - the period, whose figures, according to the Swedish organization, were provided by the Rwanda Ministry of Defense, government spent $68.5 million - which at that time was a considerable amount in relation to annual spending. What is very clear is that between 1996 and 1999, spending on the country's military took a rising tide. This remains the period that the post-Genocide administration spent highest. Following the fleeing of the former army and its Genocide militia into Zaire - now DR Congo - towards the end of 1994, Rwanda had trouble containing them as they continuously attacked border areas. Government decided to send its troops to pursue the rebels to wherever. Rwanda moved into Congo in 1996 and operated there for the next two years - which is the same period military spending hit high. The invasion actually ended the reign of President Mubutu Ssese Seko ushering in President Laurent Kabila. Numerous international efforts resulted into Rwanda moving out - but the rebel problem remains till now. In 1998, another invasion started a five-year war that divided the Congo, drawing in the armies of six countries. A series of peace deals and power-sharing accords led to the withdrawal of foreign armies and an end to major fighting in 2002. But periodic fighting continues in the east. In relation to general revenue that the country makes or GDP, expenditures on the Rwandan military jumped from 5.3% in 1996 to just under 2% in 2006. Available estimates from the Ministry of Finance indicate that for last year, military spending was about 3% of GDP. The experts say the $68.5 million spending figure for 1998 was provided by the Ministry of Defence. Considering that the figure is exorbitantly high, this explanation could be aimed at countering any concern. Ex-FAR spent more Interestingly, the SIPRI database shows that between 1990 and 1991 - a period when the Rwanda Patriotic Front - RPF - launched war on the former administration, expenditure on the ex-Rwanda Armed Forces (Ex-FAR) shot up by about 39%. President Juvenal Habyarimana earmarked some $32.8 million to his soldiers in 1989. The following year, the Ex-FAR got a whooping $75.1 million. That did not end there, because a year later that moved to $104 million. External funding According to the IMF there are additional sources for funding for Rwandan military activities, both within the budget and extra-budgetary. The figures for 2005 and 2006 include allocations for African Union peacekeeping missions in the Sudanese troubled region of Darfur - which has since transformed to joint UN/AU command. One example of external funding into defense is the $7 million the U.S. Government provided last year for military training and equipment for the Darfur mission. US President George Bush - on his trip in Kigali also announced another $12 million injection for the same purpose. Tanzania: No war but spends most Compared to its close regional neighbours, Burundi's spending on its military has only peaked highest at $54.7million in the year 2001. Last financial year, Burundi spent $42.5 million on its army. Uganda's spending on the military has been rocketing high with figures last year at $182 million compared to $69.2 million in 1988, according to estimates by the experts. Uganda and Rwanda have stayed in a state of suspicion since they clashed in DR Congo as the two armies supported warring factions. As for the DR Congo, in 2004, the vast country that has had largely no army until recently spent highest at $200million - but that has reduced annually to about $135 million last year. Interestingly, Tanzania that has been peaceful with virtually no war except the invasion of Uganda in 1979, has had its spending going up yearly since 1990. Last year, the Tanzanian government gave its military some $158 million. However, this was just 1.1% of GDP. According to budget estimates from the Rwanda Ministry of Finance, the army will take some Rwf 54.4billion this year from a total spending plan of Rwf. 623 billion. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2008 Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quantcast