Rwandan Patriotic Front

Paul Kagame has had an iron grip on Rwanda for decades – 6 essential reads on what keeps him in power

By Julius Maina, The Conversation and Kagure Gacheche, The Conversation There is little doubt that Paul Kagame will win the votes necessary to extend his 24-year rule in Rwanda’s general election on 15 July 2024. The ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic Front, nominated Kagame as its presidential candidate during a congress in March. He got 99.1% of the vote. Kagame faces Frank Habineza, who […]

July 12, 2024 33

Africa

Rwanda’s Tutsi minority has been in power for 30 years – but study finds ethnicity doesn’t matter to people if their needs are met

By Réginas Ndayiragije, University of Antwerp and Marijke Verpoorten, University of Antwerp Thirty years ago, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a predominantly Tutsi armed group, took over Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city – and soon after, the country’s governance. This victory occurred amid a horrific genocide masterminded by a Hutu-dominated regime. Rwanda’s main ethnic groups are the Hutu, who make up a majority of the population, and […]

July 9, 2024 28

Africa

30 years after genocide: Rwanda’s older generations fear a return of ethnic tensions, but youth feel more united

By Jonathan Beloff, King's College London It’s 30 years since a genocide ripped through Rwandan society, leaving up to a million Tutsi and non-extremist Hutu dead. Every year in early April, the country enters a 100-day period of commemoration during which Rwandans are asked to remember and reflect on historical divisions between the country’s main ethnic groups: Tutsi, Hutu and Twa. This is done under the banner […]

April 5, 2024 12