Mr Gogeaskoetxea, who once tried to kill King Juan Carlos, is the fifth military chief to be captured in just two years. He was in charge for only ten months.

The military cooperation chief, Mikhail Dmitriev, said that defense ties between the two countries 'reinforces stability in the region.'

This week a former military intelligence chief, Kayumba Nyamwasa, who was reported to have joined the Greens, fled Rwanda and is said to be claiming asylum in South Africa.