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USAfrica Research Information
As of mid-1997 it was safe, despite the massive upheavals in the region, to visit Rwanda overland from Uganda or Tanzania to see the gorillas in the Parc National des Volcans (via Kigali). The most important thing to bear in mind is that this is Africa, and in Africa things change rapidly. It’s not enough to simply assume that things will still be all right now. Rwanda has become indelibly etched into the consciousness of the late 20th century as focus of one of the world’s most horrific attempts at genocide. Nighttime curfew exists in many places around the country and local soldiers have orders to shoot at sight.
Nyungwe Forest ranks as one of Rwanda’s foremost attractions and is one of the largest protected mountain rainforests in Africa. Parc National des Volcans is close along the boarder of Congo (Zaïre) and Uganda and is one of the most beautiful sights in Africa. There is a chain of volcanoes, one more than 4’500 m high. The bamboo and rainforest-covered slopes provide one of the last remaining sanctuaries of the mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei). There are four known groups, Dian Fossey’s account of her years with the gorillas and the battle with poachers and government officials, “Gorillas in the Mist”, makes fascinating readings.
Kigali:
Kigali is a small but beautiful city with an incredible variety of flowering trees and shrubs. It was once a center for trading. The city became a regional center from 1919 to 1962, when the Belgians were in control. After Rwanda's independence in 1962, it was chosen to be the nation's capital. Kigali stretches over four hills, and has different settlements - there is a Muslim quarter, a squatter's community, and the industrial region. The main offices of the cassiterite (tin) companies are located here in Kigali. The city is well-connected to the borders of the country.
History:
Rwanda is a small, densely populated, landlocked country in Central Africa, who became independ in 1962, after colonization by Germany (1899) and Belgium (1945). In 1961 its monarchical government was formally abolished by a referendum and the first parliamentary elections were held. Ethnic conflicts between the Tutsis, who represent 15 percent of the population, and the Hutus who represent over 80% of the population, have engulfed the country for decades. These conflicts triggered the displacement of tens of thousands of Tutsis to neighboring countries in 1959, 1969, and 1972. This recurring ethnic strife, as well as a Government policy prohibiting the return of exiles, culminated in a large-scale armed invasion of Rwanda in October 1990 by the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), composed mainly of exiled Tutsis. The RPF sought political reforms and the rights of all exiles to return to Rwanda; its army fought the Government’s mainly Hutu army to a stalemate. A peace agreement known as the Arusha Accords, mediated by the international community, was signed by the Government and the RPF in Arusha, Tanzania in August 1993. It provided for the formation of a united national government and the integration of the two armies. However, the implementation of the accord was delayed due to opposition by Hutu extremists. The subsequent deaths of the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi in a plane crash over Kigali sparked a well-organized Hutu extremist uprising. With the support of the army, Hutu extremists engaged in genocide, killing up to 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and also moderate Hutus. The RPF responded by ousting the government and its army, and about 2 million Hutus fled Rwanda into refugee camps in neighboring countries. A transitional Government of National Unity, formed along the lines of the Arusha Accords, was sworn in July 1994 under the presidency of Pasteur Bizimungu. The new government included representatives of the 5 major political parties, from both the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. The dominant parties in the Government are the RPF, now chaired by vice-president Paul Kagame, and the "Mouvement Démocratique Rwandais" (MDR), now chaired by Prime Minister Rwigema. Following the installation of the new government, about 800,000 exiles from previous conflicts returned to Rwanda. Many of the 1994 Hutu exiles also returned to Rwanda in 1996/97 and have been resettled and reintegrated into the society and economy.
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