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20-823: Faustin Twagiramungu (14 August 1945 – 2 December 2023) was a Rwandan politician. He was Prime Minister of Rwanda from 1994 until his resignation in 1995, the first head of government appointed after the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) captured Kigali . He soon came to disagree with the RPF's policies and actions, resigned and was placed under house arrest, but managed to leave the country and settle in Belgium. He continued his opposition activity against Paul Kagame 's rule, subsequently returning to Rwanda and standing for elections, but without success. Twagiramungu

40-580: A platform of full employment , regional security, and progressive taxation, he accused the government of attempting to silence his views. He was forced to stand as an independent as his political party, the MDR, was banned. In the final count, he placed second (out of three) with 3.62 percent of the vote. He did not accept the result, claiming that Paul Kagame was leading the country towards a one-party system. The elections were widely condemned as fraudulent by outside observers. Twagiramungu left Rwanda immediately after

60-738: A transportation company called STIR — Société des Transports Internationaux au Rwanda. Twagiramungu rose to political prominence after the democratic opening in Rwanda in 1991, as the chairman of a new political party, the Republican Democratic Movement ( MDR ). MDR joined the multiparty government set up in April 1992, and an MDR politician, Dismas Nsengiyaremye , became the Prime Minister. However, in July 1993, MDR

80-531: Is the head of government of the Republic of Rwanda. The prime minister is appointed by the president , along with other ministers in the Cabinet . A total of 11 people have served in the office. The incumbent prime minister is Édouard Ngirente , who took office on 30 August 2017. The Prime Minister’s Office is entrusted with assisting the Prime Minister in the implementation of national policies. This lists

100-458: The UNAR youth wing, was tipped off by a local official that UNAR's leadership was to be executed. He drove to Nyamirambo , where UNAR was headquartered and where Rwagasana and party president Joseph Rutsindintwarane lived to warn them of the danger. According to Karyabwite, the two refused to flee. On 23 December the UNAR leaders and moderates were detained and taken to Ruhengeri . Over the course of

120-619: The election, fearing arrest. In 2010, Twagiramungu founded a "new political trend" called the Rwandan Dream Initiative (RDI). In early 2014, RDI teamed up with three other parties ( PS-Imberakuri , UDR and FDLR ) to form the Coalition of Political Parties for Change (CPC). The inclusion of FDLR was a point of controversy. The coalition was reportedly falling apart before the end of the year. On 4 April 2014, only two days after Kagame had visited Brussels , Twagiramungu

140-514: The lines of the Arusha Accords, and Twagiramungu was slated to be its president from 1998 to 2002. RNLM and UNAR were both old monarchist parties, seen to represent Tutsi interests, but they soon abandoned the alliance. As president of UFDR, Twagiramungu reportedly worked as if he was alone, creating "a party within a party", and was distanced even from the majority of his own party, the FRD. He

160-571: The name of national unity. Until the Kibeho slaughter pushed them over the brink." The tension within the administration came to a head when Twagiramungu called for an "extraordinary council of ministers on security matters" which met on 23 August 1995 and ended two days later when Paul Kagame —the de facto leader of Rwanda and the RPF—made a sardonic comment and left the room. On 28 August, Twagiramungu decided to resign, and four other ministers were fired

180-524: The next day, including Sendashonga. Twagiramungu was put under house arrest, but managed to leave the country by the end of the year. In Brussels in March 1996, Twagiramungu and Sendashonga set up an exiled opposition party called the Democratic Forces for Resistance ( FRD ). FRD was officially launched in April 1997. On 16 May 1998, Sendashonga, who had survived an earlier attempt on his life,

200-413: The night they were tortured and early the following morning they were brought to Nyamagumba hill and executed under the supervision of a Belgian officer, Major Turpin. After the purge, UNAR effectively ceased to exist. Elements of the armed wing continued to carry out attacks until 1967. In 1965 the country became a one-party state under Parmehutu. This article about an African political party

220-505: The prime ministers of Rwanda since the formation of the post in 1961 (during the Rwandan Revolution ), to the present day. Rwandese National Union Union Nationale Rwandaise (Rwandese National Union), or UNAR, was a conservative Rwandan political party. Founded on 3 September 1959, by François Rukeba , and strongly supported by King Kigeri V . At the time, Rwanda was still under Belgian administration, and UNAR

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240-452: The vexing problem of human rights abuses by the RPF. Like interior minister Seth Sendashonga , he believed there had to be a certain amount of tolerance, but was worried when there seemed to be no end in sight. According to the historian Gérard Prunier who has discussed the issue with Twagiramungu at length, "The Hutu ministers were so conscious of the potential catastrophe their eventual resignations could cause that they swallowed it all in

260-668: Was also unpopular with the old guard of the RDR "because of his leading role in the Rwandan opposition to Juvénal Habyarimana 's government and his position in the moderate section of the MDR." Twagiramungu resigned from the presidency in December 2001 and "essentially detached himself from the opposition movements". On 10 December 2002, Twagiramungu announced that he would be a candidate in the Rwandan presidential election of 2003 . Running on

280-528: Was assassinated in Nairobi . Twagiramungu denounced the murder and accused the Rwandan government of culpability. In 2001, a Kenyan court found that the murder was political and blamed the Rwandan government. In 1998, FRD invited four other exiled movements ( RDR , GID , RNLM and UNAR ) to form the Union of Rwandan Democratic Forces ( UFDR ), which wanted to press for a new power-sharing agreement along

300-531: Was born in Cyangugu prefecture on 14 August 1945. Although Hutu in origin, Twagiramungu rejected the ethnic label and preferred to see himself as a Rwandan. Twagiramungu spoke Kinyarwanda , French , Swahili and English . Twagiramungu studied and worked in Quebec , Canada, from 1968 to 1976, during which time he experienced Quebec separatism and met with René Lévesque . After returning to Rwanda, he ran

320-476: Was chosen to be the Prime Minister. The BBTG was never installed. In July 1994, Twagiramungu finally became Prime Minister in the Arusha-inspired "Government of National Unity" set up by the RPF after taking power in wake of the Rwandan genocide . His appointment was tinged with symbolism for many Rwandans, as he was the son-in-law of Grégoire Kayibanda . After taking office, Twagiramungu was faced with

340-533: Was given the cabinet posts responsible for cattle and public health. On 21 December 1963 Rwandan Tutsi exiles from Burundi attacked a military camp in Gako, Bugesera . They then advanced on Kigali before being stopped and defeated by the Rwandan National Guard. The Rwandan regime subsequently moved to purge moderate Hutu politicians and UNAR members. Pierre Claver Karyabwite, vice president of

360-487: Was informed by Belgian police and state security that his life was in danger, and his house was provided with police protection for four days. The Globe and Mail reported that "there is mounting evidence that Mr. Kagame's agents are involved in organized efforts to kill exiled dissidents". Twagiramungu died in Brussels on 2 December 2023, at age 78. Prime Minister of Rwanda The Prime Minister of Rwanda

380-484: Was split between two factions headed by Nsengiyaremye and Twagiramungu, who both wanted to be the Prime Minister in the anticipated Broad-Based Transitional Government (BBTG), a post which was to be decided prior to the signing of the Arusha Accords . Twagiramungu's faction was weak, but he succeeded thanks to support from the other political parties. The Arusha Accords were signed on 4 August 1993, and Twagiramungu

400-502: Was the leading monarchist party. It called for immediate independence under a hereditary Tutsi constitutional monarchy. Michel Rwagasana became its secretary general. The party boycotted the 1960 local elections, but participated in the 1961 parliamentary elections , receiving 17% of the vote, winning 7 of the 44 seats in the Legislative Assembly. It joined a coalition government with the victorious Parmehutu , and

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