Alexis Kanyarengwe

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Colonel

Alexis Kanyarengwe
Kanyarengwe.jpg
Born1938[1]
Ruhengeri province, Ruanda-Urundi
Died13 November 2006[1]
Kigali, Rwanda
Political partyRwanda Patriotic Front

Colonel Alexis Kanyarengwe (1938[2]–2006) was a Rwandan officer who fled Rwanda in 1980 amidst accusations that he was plotting against Juvénal Habyarimana.

Kanyarengwe rose to power as one of the officers who led a coup on July 5, 1973, that toppled then President Grégoire Kayibanda, installing Habyarimana.[2] He was appointed Minister of the Interior in the new government, and reportedly rose to the number two position.[2] In December 1980 he came under suspicion of fomenting a coup against Habyarimana and fled into exile in Tanzania.[2]

In September 1990, after three years of convincing, Kanyarengwe joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), following a meeting with Aloisea Inyumba.[2] This is despite his being a Hutu and the RPF being made primarily of Tutsi in exile.[3] The effect of his defection in Rwanda led to Habyarimana cracking down further on internal opposition.[3]

Kanyarengwe joined the RPF as its vice president, but quickly rose up the ranks. In October 1990, RPF founder Fred Rwigyema was killed in mysterious circumstances, possibly by his deputy . Bayingana was himself assassinated by forces loyal to Rwigyema.[2] In the fallout of these events, Kanyarengwe was thrust into the presidency.[2]

However, real power was thought to be held by RPF vice president Paul Kagame.[2][4]

On 28 March 1997, Kanyarengwe was sacked from his post as Interior minister after protesting Rwandan Patriotic Army massacres in his home prefecture of Ruhengeri. , who also protested, was removed on the same day. On 15 February 1998, Kanyarengwe was finally replaced by Paul Kagame as chairman of the RPF.[4]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Mukombozi, Robert (14 November 2006). "Rwanda: Kanyarengwe Dead". The New Times. Kigali. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rwanda – juillet 1994 : que sont devenus les « Hommes d'union nationale »? (2ème partie) - Jambonews FR". www.jambonews.net. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  3. ^ a b Des Forges, Alison (March 1999). Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda – History → Consolidating the Opposition. New York: Human Rights Watch. ISBN 1-56432-171-1.
  4. ^ a b Reyntjens, Filip (2013). Political Governance in Post-Genocide Rwanda. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 18, 80. ISBN 978-1-107-67879-8.

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