IB History Political and Economic Impact Notes

Paul Kagame

• Military role during the genocide
  Kagame was head of the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), the military wing of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), during the genocide. Under his command, the RPF launched a military campaign that ended the genocide in July 1994.
• Accusations of human rights abuses
  While the RPF stopped the mass killings, critics argue it also committed human rights abuses in both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These have never been fully prosecuted.
• Rise to political power
  After the genocide, Kagame became Vice President and Minister of Defense in the transitional government. Though Pasteur Bizimungu was the official president, Kagame held de facto power.
  • He became president in 2000 after Bizimungu’s resignation.
  • He later won official elections in 2003, 2010, and 2017 with landslide victories.
  • However, international observers and opposition groups have questioned the fairness of these elections.
• Governance and leadership style
  Kagame is credited with Rwanda’s rapid economic development and social stability. However, his government is often described as authoritarian, with strict control over media, civil society, and opposition parties. Political opponents have been imprisoned, exiled, or in some cases, assassinated.
• Example: Patrick Karegeya
  • He was Rwanda’s former chief of external intelligence and a prominent critic of Kagame’s government, went into exile in South Africa. There, he openly opposed Kagame’s regime.
  • In January 2014, Karegeya was found strangled to death in a Johannesburg hotel room under suspicious circumstances.
  • Many human rights organizations and analysts have suggested Kagame’s government was involved, though the Rwandan government denies it.