Rwanda gained its independence on July 1, 1962. Politics of Rwanda reflects Belgian and German civil law systems and customary law takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Rwanda is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.
"Rwanda Nziza" has been the national anthem of Rwanda since January 1, 2002. It replaced "Rwanda Rwacu", which had been the national anthem since 1962.
The Rwandan Civil War was a conflict between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the government of Rwanda, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The war, which lasted from 1990 to 1994, arose from the long-running dispute between the Hutu and Tutsi groups within the Rwandan population. A 1959–1962 revolution had replaced the Tutsi monarchy with a Hutu-led republic, forcing more than 336,000 Tutsi to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. A group of these refugees in Uganda founded the RPF which, under the leadership of Fred Rwigyema and Paul Kagame, became a battle-ready army by the late 1980s.
On the evening of 6 April 1994, the airplane carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira, both Hutu, was shot down with surface-to-air missiles as it prepared to land in Kigali, Rwanda. The assassination set in motion two of the bloodiest events of the late 20th century: the Rwandan genocide and the First Congo War.
There are several planned railway lines in Rwanda, including a line to Tanzania.
Human rights in Rwanda have been violated on a grand scale. The greatest violation is the Rwandan genocide of Tutsi in 1994. The post-genocide government is also responsible for grave violations of human rights.
John Kabango Rucyahana is a former Rwandan Anglican bishop.
Presidential elections were held in Rwanda on 9 August 2010, the second since the Rwandan Civil War. Incumbent President Paul Kagame of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) was re-elected for a second seven-year term with 93% of the vote.
The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda is a green political party in Rwanda, established in 2009. The party was registered in August 2013, but too late to contest the 2013 parliamentary elections. Its platform emphasizes unity, non-violence, social justice, participatory democracy, and calls for subsidized prices for agricultural produce. It believes that the unalienable rights of the people include "the right to life, liberty, peaceful assembly, expression, worship and the pursuit of happiness", and that these rights are granted by God.
Jean-Léonard Rugambage was a Rwandan journalist, acting editor of the newspaper Umuvugizi. He was shot dead after the assailant fired four shots at him at the front of his home in Kigali on 24 June 2010.
Patrick Karegeya was a head of intelligence in Rwanda. After being twice thrown in jail over alleged indiscipline, desertion and insubordination, he was stripped of his rank of colonel in 2006 and went into exile in 2007. He was killed in Johannesburg, South Africa on 31 December 2013.
Vision 2020 is a government development program in Rwanda, launched in 2000 by Rwandan president Paul Kagame.
Ange Kagame is the second child and only daughter of Paul Kagame, current president of Rwanda. She has been involved in causes that include women's empowerment, education, and poverty eradication, as well as mass vaccination campaigns and she is married to Bertrand Ndengeyingoma
Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa is a leading figure in the Rwanda National Congress and a former Chief of Staff to Rwandan President Paul Kagame (2000-2004), former General Secretary of the Rwandan ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and former ambassador to the United States from 1996 to 1999. Rudasingwa has been in exile in the U.S. since 2004 after falling out with President Kagame, and was recently sentenced to 24 years in jail by a Rwandan court on charges that may have been politically motivated. Rudasingwa was born outside Rwanda and has lived most of his life outside the country.
The following lists events that happened during 2010 in Rwanda.
Presidential elections were held in Rwanda on 4 August 2017. The incumbent President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, was re-elected to a third seven-year term with 98.79% of the vote.
Thomas Nahimana, born in 1971, is a Catholic Priest and a Rwandan politician who serves as the President of The Rwandan People Government In Exile from February 20, 2017. He is the leader of a political movement he founded called Ishema Party and a key figure in the opposition to President Paul Kagame. Nahimana Thomas is also the leader of "New Generation", a movement that seeks change and democracy in Rwanda using nonviolent methods.
The following lists events that happened during 2017 in Rwanda.
