The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally, known originally as the Fraternity Rally, is an international rallying event organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club. The rally is based in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. [1] The event is a round of the African Rally Championship and the Rwandan National Rally Championship.
The Fraternity Rally was first run in 1999 as motorsport re-established itself after the Genocide against the Tutsi. It began as a cross-border rally that began in Kampala, Uganda before finishing in Kigali. The rally became part of the African championship the following year, restoring a Rwandan presence to the African championship absent since 1988. Over time the Ugandan portion of the event faded and the rally was renamed the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally 2002.
Burundi driver Rudy Cantanhede is the most successful driver in the rallies history with three wins to his credit. Italian born local driver Giancarlo Davite has two wins to his credit. All bar two events have been won by drivers of Subaru Imprezas.
Sourced in part from: [2] [3] [4]
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is highly elevated, giving it the soubriquet "land of a thousand hills", with its geography dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the southeast, with numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. It is the most densely populated mainland African country; among countries larger than 10,000 km2, it is the fifth most densely populated country in the world. Its capital and largest city is Kigali.
Kigali is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relatively new city. It has been Rwanda's economic, cultural, and transport hub since it was founded as an administrative outpost in 1907, and became the capital of the country at independence in 1962, shifting focus away from Huye.
Rwanda is located in East Africa, to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the co-ordinates 2°00′S30°0′E.
Paul Kagame is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the fourth President of Rwanda since 2000. He was previously a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel armed force which invaded Rwanda in 1990. The RPF was one of the parties of the conflict during the Rwandan Civil War and the armed force which ended the Rwanda Genocide against the Tutsi. He was considered Rwanda's de facto leader when he was Vice President and Minister of Defence under President Pasteur Bizimungu from 1994 to 2000 after which the vice-presidential post was abolished.
Volcanoes National Park is a national park in northwestern Rwanda. It covers 160 km2 (62 sq mi) of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains, namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. It borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. It is home to the mountain gorilla and the golden monkey, and was the base for the primatologist Dian Fossey.
The Rwanda Defence Force is the military of the Republic of Rwanda. The country's armed forces were originally known as the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), but following the Rwandan Civil War of 1990–1994 and the Rwandan genocide of 1994 against the Tutsi, the victorious Rwandan Patriotic Front (Inkotanyi) created a new organization and named it the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA). Later, it was renamed to its current name.
The Rwandan Civil War was a large-scale civil war in Rwanda which was fought between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the country's government, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) from 1 October 1990 to 18 July 1994. The war 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.
Tourism in Rwanda is the largest source of foreign exchange earnings in Rwanda. It was projected to grow at a rate of 25% every year from 2013-2018. The sector is the biggest contributor to the national export strategy. Total revenue generated from the sector in 2014 alone was USD 305 million.
Tourism in Uganda is focused on Uganda's landscape and wildlife. It is a major driver of employment, investment and foreign exchange, contributing USh 4.9 trillion to Uganda's GDP in the financial year 2012–2013.
The African Rally Championship (ARC) is an international automobile rally championship run under the auspices of the FIA. The championship was first held in 1981 and won by Shekhar Mehta. The most successful driver in the championship's history is Zambian driver Satwant Singh with eight championships. The reigning 2023 champions are Kenyans Karan Patel and Navigator Tauseef Khan.
Bank of Kigali (BK) is a commercial bank in Rwanda. It is licensed by the National Bank of Rwanda.
Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa is a Rwandan former Lieutenant general who formerly was the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army from 1998 to 2002. He was also head of Rwandan intelligence from 1998 to 2002 and served as Rwanda's ambassador to India between 2004 and 2010. Nyamwasa has been an opposition leader in exile since as part of the Rwanda National Congress.
The Rwanda women's national football team represents Rwanda in women's association football and is controlled by the Rwandese Association Football Federation. It had to date been scheduled to compete in one major tournament, the inaugural Women's Challenge Cup held in Zanzibar in October 2007, but the event was ultimately canceled. It has finally debuted in February 2014 against Kenya. The team is nicknamed The She-Amavubi.
The 2013 African Rally Championship is the 33rd season of the African Rally Championship (ARC). This Championship is the FIA regional rally championship for the African continent. The season began March 1 in Côte d'Ivoire, and ended approximately on November 9 in Madagascar, after eight events.
The 2015 African Rally Championship was the 35th season of the African Rally Championship (ARC), the FIA regional zone rally championship for the African continent. The season began March 6 in the Côte d'Ivoire, and ended on November 8 in Madagascar, after seven events.
The 2016 African Rally Championship was the 36th season of the African Rally Championship (ARC), the FIA regional zone rally championship for the African continent. The season began on February 11 in the Côte d'Ivoire, and ended on November 13 in Madagascar, after seven events.
The 2017 African Rally Championship was the 37th season of the African Rally Championship (ARC), the FIA regional zone rally championship for the African continent. The season began on February 10, 2017 in the Côte d'Ivoire, and ended on October 22, 2017 in Zambia, after seven events.
The 2018 African Rally Championship was the 38th season of the African Rally Championship (ARC), the FIA regional zone rally championship for the African continent. The season began on February 23 in the Côte d'Ivoire, and ended on October 7 in Rwanda, after seven events.
The 2019 African Rally Championship was the 39th season of the African Rally Championship (ARC), the FIA regional zone rally championship for the African continent. The season began on February 21 in the Côte d'Ivoire, and ended on October 10 in Rwanda, after seven events.
The Kigali International Peace Marathon is an annual road-based marathon hosted by Kigali, Rwanda, since 2005. It is a World Athletics Label Road Race and a member of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. During the race weekend, a half marathon and a 10K fun run are also offered. A night run is also associated with the event, though not held during the same weekend.
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