Page 45 - Coespu Magazine 2018-2

UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) Peacekeepers. Other observers criticized the
government of France for alleged support of the Hutu government after the genocide had begun.
The genocide had a lasting and profound impact on Rwanda and its neighboring Countries. The
pervasive use of rape as a weapon of war caused a spike in HIV infection, including babies born of rape
to newly infected mothers; many households were headed by orphaned children or widows. The
destruction of infrastructures and the severe depopulation of the Country crippled the economy,
challenging the nascent government to achieve rapid economic growth and stabilization. The RPF
military victory and installation of an RPF-dominated government prompted many Hutus to flee to
neighboring Countries, particularly in the eastern portion of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the
Congo - DRC), where
the Hutu began to
regroup in refugee
camps along the border
with Rwanda. Declaring
a need to avert further
genocide, the RPF-led
government conducted
military incursions into
Zaire, including the
First (1996–1997) and
Second (1998–2003)
Congo Wars. Armed
struggles between the
Rwandan government
and their opponents in
DRC have continued to
play out through proxy militias in the Goma region, including the M23 rebellion (2012–2013). Large
Rwandan Hutu and Tutsi populations continue to live as refugees throughout the region.
Today Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, has reached an acceptable level of internal peace
and security.
Rwanda has adopted a presidential system of government. The president is Paul Kagame of the
Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), who took office in 2000. The Country has now a low corruption
compared with neighboring Countries, although there are still many social and economic difficulties.
Nevertheless, since 2000 Rwanda’s economy, tourist numbers, and Human Development Index have
grown rapidly. Between 2006 and 2011 the poverty rate reduced from 57% to 45%, while life
expectancy rose from 46.6 years in 2000 to 59.7 years in 2015.
In memory of the atrocities of the past, Rwanda has two public holidays mourning the genocide. The
national mourning period begins with Kwibuka remembrance, the national commemoration, on 7th
April, and concludes with Liberation Day on 4th July. The week following 7th April is an official week
of mourning, known as “Icyunamo”.

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