Rwanda

Rwanda, whose official name is Republic of Rwanda (in Kinyarwanda, Repubulika y'u Rwanda; in English, Republic of Rwanda; in French, République du Rwanda), is a landlocked country in East Africa. sea. It borders Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. It is a small country located in the Great Lakes region of Africa; Known as the "mists of Africa", also for its wildlife, mainly for its mountain gorillas, for its typical cities and for the national parks and natural landscapes that its mountainous landscape offers. Its fertile, mountainous terrain gives it the title "Land of a Thousand Hills" (in French, Pays des Mille Collines; /pei de mil kɔ.lin/), it must support the densest populations on the African continent.

Rwanda is a low-income country, which in the last decade has been achieving the highest growth rates on the continent. A large part of the population works in agriculture, mainly for subsistence, but there is increasing mineral and processing of agricultural products. Tourism is currently the main source of income for the country, and since 2008 mining has surpassed coffee and tea as the main source of products for export.

Although it is still remembered today for the bloody wars that plagued it at the end of the last century, and particularly for the genocide that occurred in 1994, in which deaths exceeded one million people, Rwanda is, two decades later, the the safest country on the continent and the fifth in the world, according to the Gallup 2015 report, which measures the feeling of citizen security; according to the World Economic Forum, it is also the safest on the continent and ninth in the world. On the other hand, the Global Peace Index, which includes factors such as the level of militarization or foreign relations, places Rwanda in 103rd place ° in the world, the worst data being the proportion of the population incarcerated, still very high after the trials for the genocide.

Rwanda has developed some of the most women-friendly policies in the world. The Rwandan constitution has required women to occupy 30 percent of elected positions. Today, with 49 women in parliament, the percentage rises to 61 percent: the highest in the world. Four of the seven seats on the supreme court are held by women.

History

In the beginning, the Rwandan territory was inhabited by pygmies of Twa origin, who were especially dedicated to hunting. In the 11th century, they received the Hutus, who settled in a sedentary way and lived with them in peace. In the 14th century, Tutsi farmers arrived in the area and became part of a society made up of Twas and Hutus. In the 16th century, the Tutsis began a military campaign against the Hutus and became lords of the Hutu majority in something like a society of feudal lords with a king, mwami. At the end of the 19th century, the Germans conquered the country. After the First World War the League of Nations handed over the territory to the Belgians and after the Second World War the UN with Belgian help would come to dominate the territory. The Belgians sharpened class differences by labeling a Tutsi with less than ten cows as a Hutu and consequently imposing forced labor on him. Until 1950 education was available only to Tutsi.

Reconstruction of the King of Rwanda Palace in Nyanza.

King Mutara III Rudahigwa, who had ruled for nearly three decades, died in 1959 and the Tutsi came to power. This contributed to a series of Hutu rebellions, demanding equal rights, in which tens of thousands of Tutsi perished. In 1961, with the support of Belgian settlers, the Hutu majority seized control of the government, abolishing the Tutsi monarchy and declaring Rwanda a republic.

Rwanda's independence was not recognized internationally until July 1, 1962, when Rwanda and its neighbor Burundi formally achieved their independence.

More than half of Rwanda's Tutsi fled the country between 1959 and 1964. General Juvenal Habyarimana, an ethnic Hutu, seized power in a 1973 coup amid another period of ethnic conflict. Habyarimana managed to triumph in the civil war and remained as president; by 1978 he promulgated a new constitution.

Juvénal Habyarimana during a visit to the United States, 1980

Habyarimana had absolute control over the country. In addition to being president of the country, he directed the hegemonic political party and was the supreme commander of the armed forces. Thanks to this control, he was re-elected in 1983 and 1988.

In October 1990 exiled Rwandans, opponents of the Habyarimana regime, organized into the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and its armed wing, the Rwandan Patriotic Army (APR, Armée Patriotique Rwandaise), invaded the country with the support of Uganda, starting a civil war to overthrow the regime. Habyarimana was flexible, launching a series of political reforms that led to the drafting of a new constitution in 1991.

But since 1991 the Habyarimana regime had increased the repression of the population in a low-intensity war to end the Tutsi opposition, using racism as its axis, and instigating and covering up mass massacres of said populations.

The killings were carried out by paramilitary groups (mainly the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi, groups originally organized in the youth sector of Hutu political parties). The Hutu paramilitaries numbered over 30,000, received military training from the Rwandan army and support/cover-up from the Habyarimana regime.

Through the radio station «Des Mille Collines», a private station, racist and genocidal propaganda against the Tutsi was disseminated with impunity. Radio in Rwanda plays a central role in communication, given the poor development of newspapers and the low penetration of television. The Station "Des Mille Collines" encouraged in its daily programming the Hutu to make sure that the Tutsi children were also killed and to fill the graves dug to bury the Tutsi. The radio also launched a campaign against the RPF and all opposition parties.

The Habyarimana government reintroduced ethnic identity cards, used by Belgians in the 1930s. These cards allowed paramilitaries to easily choose their victims. The paramilitaries soon closed roads and searched every passing person to eliminate the Tutsi.

The government also created lists of people who should be killed, identifying supporters of the political transition, political opponents, those involved in the Human Rights movement, etc. Even some reform-minded Hutus were sentenced to death. These lists included the entire Tutsi population.

In April 1992, a multiparty transitional cabinet was formed to govern the country. The measures taken led to the signing of a peace agreement between the Habyarimana government and the RPF rebels in Arusha (Tanzania) in August 1993. But the application of this agreement was partially delayed by President Juvénal Habyarimana, whose allies extremists of the Coalition for the Defense of the Republic (CDR) did not accept the terms.

The April 6, 1994 attack occurred when Habyarimana's private plane, a Dassault Falcon 50 jet (a gift from French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac) was shot down by two missiles as it was about to land at the airport in Kigali, the capital from the country. Two presidents from the Hutu ethnic group and neighboring countries died in the collision: Habyarimana himself, from Rwanda, and Cyprien Ntaryamira, from Burundi, who accompanied him on the trip. Immediately began the Rwandan Genocide, which can be considered the bloodiest in history in proportion to its duration. In just 100 days (April-July) there were more than 800,000 murders, mainly of Tutsi people by Hutu groups, and a number of Hutu moderates who opposed the genocide.

The Tutsi of the Rwandan Patriotic Front decided to restart their offensive, which allowed them to take control of the entire country in mid-July. The international response to the genocide was limited, with great powers reluctant to strengthen the already overstretched UN peacekeeping force. When the RPF took power, around two million Hutus fled to neighboring countries, particularly Zaire, fearing reprisals. To this end, France, the traditional protector of the Hutu regime in Rwanda, deployed military forces that created a humanitarian corridor for those fleeing the Tutsi advance, which facilitated the flight to the Congo of thousands of genocidal individuals, including several of their leaders. Additionally, the Rwandan Patriotic Front was led by a key belligerent in the First and Second Congo Wars in Rwanda. A period of reconciliation and justice began with the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the reintroduction of Gacaca, a traditional village people's court system.

Economically, during the 2000s, the country prospered remarkably. The number of tourists and the Human Development Index grew rapidly. Between 2006 and 2011, the poverty rate fell from 57 to 45 percent, and infant mortality rates dropped from 180 per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 111 per 1,000 in 2009. Persistent efforts at economic and political reform gave Rwanda has some of the lowest corruption rates in Africa, to the point that today bribery is considered almost unknown. Incomes have doubled between 1994 and 2012, but electricity remains scarce and expensive, and internal transportation remains difficult. The rule of law and efforts to cut red tape have created a good environment for business, leading journalists to call Rwanda the "Singapore of Africa".

Government and politics

Paul Kagame, current president of Rwanda.

Following the military victory of July 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front organized a coalition similar to that established by Juvénal Habyarimana in 1992, based on the Arusha accords. However, Habyarimana's party was banned.

Political organizations were banned until 2003.

In September of that year, legislative elections were held. According to a 2005 UN report comparing the gender distribution of parliaments of sovereign nations, Rwandan is the most balanced parliament. It is currently the parliament with the highest percentage of women in the world, with 61.3% female parliamentarians (the average is 15.0%).

Human Rights

In terms of human rights, regarding membership of the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), Rwanda has signed or ratified:

Status of major international human rights instruments

Rwanda	International treaties
	CESCR		CCPR			CERD	CED	CEDAW		CAT		CRC			MWC	CRPD
	CESCR	CESCR-OP	CCPR	CCPR-OP1	CCPR-OP2-DP			CEDAW	CEDAW-OP	CAT	CAT-OP	CRC	CRC-OP-AC	CRC-OP-SC		CRPD	CRPD-OP
Pertenence
Signed and ratified, signed, but not ratified, neither signed nor ratified, without information, it has agreed to sign and ratify the body concerned, but also recognizes the competence to receive and process individual communications from the competent bodies.

Territorial organization

Map of Rwanda.

Rwanda is divided into 5 provinces, which since January 1, 2006 replace the previous 12:

Geography

Lake of the Virunga Mountains.

Rwanda is an inland country located in East Africa. It borders Uganda to the north, Burundi to the south, Tanzania to the east, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. The border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is largely established by Lake Kivu (see Democratic Republic of the Congo).

It is a very rugged country, with many mountains and valleys, which is why it is known as the country of a thousand hills. In the northwest of the country are the Virunga Mountains that stretch from the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the west to the north, on the border with Uganda. In these mountains is the highest point in the country, Mount Karisimbi, a volcano with 4507 m s. no. m., In addition to other volcanic mountains with more than 3000 meters of altitude.

Climate

Rwanda has a temperate climate, due to its altitude, it has lower temperatures than typical in equatorial countries. In the mountains, frost and snowfall occur. Kigali, in the center of the country, has an average temperature with nightly minimums of 15-16 °C and daily maximums of 26-28 °C, with little variation throughout the year. Throughout the country the temperature varies a Little, in the west and north where the mountains predominate, the climate is colder than in the east, which is of lower altitude. The average temperature in the Lake Kivu area, at an altitude of 1,463 meters, is 23 degrees Celsius. There are two rainy seasons per year, the first is from February to June and the second from September to December. These seasons are separated by two dry seasons, the first and most important one goes from June to September, in which there is practically no rain. Another less dry period goes from December to February. Rainfall varies geographically, with more rain in the west and northwest than in the east and southeast. Rwanda is considered the world capital of thunderstorms due to the intensity with which they occur during its two rainy seasons. Annual rainfall averages 830 millimeters.

Average climate parameters of Kigali, Rwanda
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	26.9	27.4	26.9	26.2	25.9	26.4	27.1	28.0	28.2	27.2	26.1	26.4	26.9
Average temperature (°C)	21.2	21.6	21.3	21.2	21.0	20.9	21.0	22.0	22.1	21.1	20.8	21.0	21.3
Temp. medium (°C)	15.6	15.8	15.7	16.1	16.2	15.3	15.0	16.0	16.0	15.9	15.5	15.6	15.7
Total precipitation (mm)	76.9	91.0	114.2	154.2	88.1	18.6	11.4	31.1	69.6	105.7	112.7	77.4	950.9
Precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	11	11	15	18	13	2	1	4	10	17	17	14	133
Source: World Meteorological Organization

Ecology

Mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park, northwest of Rwanda.

WWF divides Rwanda into three ecoregions:

• Mosaic of jungle and savannah of Lake Victoria, east.
• Mounted forest of the Albertina fault, west.
• Paraamo of the Ruwenzori and Virunga mountains, in the highest areas of the northwest.

Economy

Coffee cultivation in Rwanda.

Rwanda is a low-income country where 90% of the population works in agriculture, mainly subsistence, in addition to a small mineral production and processing of agricultural products. Tourism is currently the country's main source of income, and since 2008 mining has surpassed coffee and tea as the main source of products for export, highlighting the cassiterite from which tin is extracted, as well as small amounts of beryllium.

The 1994 genocide destroyed the fragile foundation of the economy, increased poverty, especially for women, and temporarily created difficulties in attracting foreign capital. However, the country made great strides in stabilizing and rehabilitating the economy to pre-1994 levels.

Starting in 2006, the country entered a period of strong economic growth, managing to register an average growth of 8% per year in the following years, becoming one of the fastest developing economies in Africa. This sustained economic growth has been accompanied by a reduction in poverty levels from 70% in 1994 to 45% in 2011. Infrastructure has developed rapidly, with an increase in the number of connections to the electricity grid from 91,000 in 2006 to 215,000 in 2011.

The country's currency is the Rwandan franc.

Infrastructure

Transportation

A small fleet of buses in a transport department in Kigali.

The transportation system in Rwanda centers primarily around the highway network, with paved roads built by Chinese laborers between the capital, Kigali, and most other cities in the country. Rwanda is also linked by road with other countries in Africa, through which most of the country's imports and exports are carried out. It has an international airport in Kigali, serving one domestic and several international lines, and has also limited water transport between ports on Lake Kivu. Huge investments in transportation infrastructure have been made since the 1994 genocide, with help from the European Union, China, Japan, and others.

The main form of public transport in the country is colectivos, with express routes linking major cities and local services serving most towns along the country's main highways. Bus services are available to various destinations in neighboring countries. In 2006, the Chinese proposed financing a study for the construction of a railway linking from Bujumbura in Burundi to Kigali in Rwanda and Isaka in Tanzania.

Demographics

Demographic developments in Rwanda

Rwanda's population density, even after the genocide, is among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, at 230/km² and a total population of 12,301,393 according to World Bank estimates for 2018.

The indigenous population consists of three ethnic groups. The Hutus, who are the majority (85%), are farmers of Bantu origin. The Tutsis (14%) are herders who arrived in the region in the 15th century. Until 1959 they were the ruling caste of a feudal system. The Twa (Pygmies) (1%) are believed to be what remains of the region's earliest inhabitants. Many Rwandans have emigrated to other countries to seek better living conditions, especially after the war. France and the old metropolis, Belgium, are the two main destinations for Rwandans abroad.

More than half the population is literate, although no more than 5% have received secondary education. During 1994-95, most primary schools and more than half of secondary schools reopened. Butare National University, attended by more than 7,000 students, reopened in April 1995. Reconstruction of the education system remains a priority for the Rwandan government.

The distribution of religious belief in Rwanda in 2001 was 56.5% Catholic, 26% Protestant, 11.1% Adventist, 4.6% Muslim, 0.1% indigenous beliefs and 1.7% without religion.

Language

Rwanda is officially a trilingual country. Kiñarwanda, English and French are today the official languages. Kiñarwanda is the language of government and English is the primary educational medium. Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, which is also widely spoken in rural Rwanda, could become the fourth official language; in February 2017 the parliament approved a law in this regard, which has yet to be approved by the senate and endorsed by the president.

Education

Rwandan children in rural areas.

The Rwandan government provides free education in schools for nine years, six in primary and three in secondary. President Paul Kagame announced during his 2010 re-election campaign that he intended to expand free education to also cover the last three years of high school. Many poor children do not attend classes because they have to buy uniforms and school supplies. There are many private schools in the country, some of which are run by the church. From 1994 to 2009 secondary education was offered in English or French, but due to increased ties with the East African Community and the Commonwealth only English is now used. The country's literacy rate, for ages 15+, was 71% in 2009, being 58% in 1991 and 38% in 1978.

Health

The quality of healthcare in Rwanda is low; one in thirty children dies before the age of 5, mainly due to malaria. There is a severe shortage of qualified medical professionals, and some medicines are in short supply or unavailable. 87% of the population have access to services of health but there are only thirteen doctors and two paramedics for every 100,000 people.

Another serious health problem facing Rwanda is HIV/AIDS. The HIV epidemic in the country has remained with a prevalence of around 3% in the last seven years.

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