Genocide in Rwanda
Rwanda is home to three ethnic groups: the Hutu (about 85–90% of the population); the Tutsi (10–15 %); and the Twa (less than 1%). The cultures of these groups have much in common. They have spoken the same language for at least 500 years.
Rwanda became a German colony in the 1890s. The Germans treated the upper-class Tutsi better than the Hutu. After Germany lost World War I (1914–18), the Belgians took control. Like the Germans, theyalso favored the Tutsi. As a result, some (but not all) Tutsi were better off due to colonial rule. This angered the Hutu majority, and ethnic violence broke out in 1959. Many Tutsis were killed, and many more fled to nearby countries. The Tutsi monarchy was overthrown, and Rwanda became an independent nation in 1962.
For almost thirty years, Hutu political parties held power. In 1990, however, a rebel group composed mostly of Tutsi refugees invaded Rwanda from Uganda. Fighting raged, off and on, for the next four years. In 1994, up to 1 million people were killed. The victims were mostly Tutsi. However, many Hutu who opposed the government in killing the Tutsi's also died. In the end, the rebels (RFP - Rwandan Patriotic Front) led by Paul Kagame (Rwanda's current President) overthrew the government. The new government vowed to build a society that would not be based on ethnic divisions. Today, no one speaks of ethnicity (Hutu vs Tutsi) and everyone considers themselves Rwandan.
Today Rwanda is a Republic with an elected President (Paul Kagame), a Parliament, and a Prime Minister overseeing several Ministries.
Rwanda became a German colony in the 1890s. The Germans treated the upper-class Tutsi better than the Hutu. After Germany lost World War I (1914–18), the Belgians took control. Like the Germans, theyalso favored the Tutsi. As a result, some (but not all) Tutsi were better off due to colonial rule. This angered the Hutu majority, and ethnic violence broke out in 1959. Many Tutsis were killed, and many more fled to nearby countries. The Tutsi monarchy was overthrown, and Rwanda became an independent nation in 1962.
For almost thirty years, Hutu political parties held power. In 1990, however, a rebel group composed mostly of Tutsi refugees invaded Rwanda from Uganda. Fighting raged, off and on, for the next four years. In 1994, up to 1 million people were killed. The victims were mostly Tutsi. However, many Hutu who opposed the government in killing the Tutsi's also died. In the end, the rebels (RFP - Rwandan Patriotic Front) led by Paul Kagame (Rwanda's current President) overthrew the government. The new government vowed to build a society that would not be based on ethnic divisions. Today, no one speaks of ethnicity (Hutu vs Tutsi) and everyone considers themselves Rwandan.
Today Rwanda is a Republic with an elected President (Paul Kagame), a Parliament, and a Prime Minister overseeing several Ministries.
Healthcare in Rwanda:
Minister of Health: Dr. Agnes Binagwaho
The HRH program is directly the vision of the Honorable Minister of Health: Dr. Agnes Binagwaho. I am with the Honorable Minister here in this photo. She is on the right in the pink dress. We are accompanied by Benoite: the Dean of Nursing at Kigali Health Institute (KHI).
Dr. Binagwaho was appointed Minister of Health of Rwanda in May 2011; she had been Permanent Secretary of Health since October 2008. From 2003 to 2008, she served as Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s National AIDS Control Commission. Prior to 2002, she practiced medicine in public hospitals in Rwanda and elsewhere after receiving her MD and specializing in Pediatrics, emergency
pediatrics, neonatology, and the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Binagwaho was appointed Minister of Health of Rwanda in May 2011; she had been Permanent Secretary of Health since October 2008. From 2003 to 2008, she served as Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s National AIDS Control Commission. Prior to 2002, she practiced medicine in public hospitals in Rwanda and elsewhere after receiving her MD and specializing in Pediatrics, emergency
pediatrics, neonatology, and the treatment of HIV/AIDS.