Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame(Born 1957)
Paul Kagame is a Rwandan politician and former military leader. He became President of Rwanda in 2000. Kagame previously commanded the rebel force that ended the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He was re-elected in August 2017 with an official result of nearly 99% in an election criticised for irregularities.
Kagame was born to a Tutsi family in southern Rwanda. When he was two years old, the Rwandan Revolution ended centuries of Tutsi political dominance; his family fled to Uganda, where he spent the rest of his childhood. Kagame joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which invaded Rwanda in 1990. He took control of the RPF in the same year when then leader Fred Rwigyema was killed by a stray bullet (the cause of death is disputed).
Four years later, in April 1994, the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana sparked off a genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed an estimated half-a-million to 1 million Tutsi and moderate Hutu. Kagame ended the genocide with a military victory for the RPF.
As president, Kagame has prioritised national development, launching programme Vision 2020 in 2000 to develop Rwanda as a middle-income country by 2020. The economy grew on average by 8% per year between 2004 and 2010.
As of 2013, the country is developing strongly on key indicators, including healthcare and education.
Kagame was born to a Tutsi family in southern Rwanda. When he was two years old, the Rwandan Revolution ended centuries of Tutsi political dominance; his family fled to Uganda, where he spent the rest of his childhood. Kagame joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which invaded Rwanda in 1990. He took control of the RPF in the same year when then leader Fred Rwigyema was killed by a stray bullet (the cause of death is disputed).
Four years later, in April 1994, the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana sparked off a genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed an estimated half-a-million to 1 million Tutsi and moderate Hutu. Kagame ended the genocide with a military victory for the RPF.
As president, Kagame has prioritised national development, launching programme Vision 2020 in 2000 to develop Rwanda as a middle-income country by 2020. The economy grew on average by 8% per year between 2004 and 2010.
As of 2013, the country is developing strongly on key indicators, including healthcare and education.
Paul Kagame adapted from Wikipedia and licensed by The Cultural Me under CC BY SA 3.0