Colonel Alexis Kanyarengwe (1938–2006) was a

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

n officer who fled Rwanda in 1980 amidst accusations that he was plotting against

Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (, ; 8 March 19376 April 1994) was a Rwandan politician and military officer who served as the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until 1994. He was nicknamed ''Kinani'', a Kinyarwanda word meaning "invincible". An ethn ...

. Kanyarengwe rose to power as one of the officers who led a coup on July 5, 1973, that toppled then President

Grégoire Kayibanda Grégoire Kayibanda (1 May 192415 December 1976) was a Rwandan politician and revolutionary who was the first elected List of Presidents of Rwanda, President of Rwanda from 1962 to 1973. An ethnic Hutu, he was a pioneer of the Rwandan Revolutio ...

, installing Habyarimana. He was appointed Minister of the Interior in the new government, and reportedly rose to the number two position. In December 1980 he came under suspicion of fomenting a coup against Habyarimana and fled into exile in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. In September 1990, after three years of convincing, Kanyarengwe joined the

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...

(RPF), following a meeting with

Aloisea Inyumba Aloisea Inyumba (28 December 1964 – 6 December 2012) was a Rwandan politician, who was the country's Minister for Gender and Family Promotion and as executive secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission. While studying socia ...

. This is despite his being a

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the prin ...

and the RPF being made primarily of

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...

in exile. The effect of his defection in Rwanda led to Habyarimana cracking down further on internal opposition. Kanyarengwe joined the RPF as its vice president, but quickly rose up the ranks. In October 1990, RPF founder

Fred Rwigyema Fred Gisa Rwigyema (also sometimes spelled Rwigema; born Emmanuel Gisa; 10 April 1957 – 2 October 1990) was a Rwandan politician and military officer. He was the founder of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a political and military force f ...

was killed in mysterious circumstances, possibly by his deputy

Pierre Bayingana Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

. Bayingana was himself assassinated by forces loyal to Rwigyema. In the fallout of these events, Kanyarengwe was thrust into the presidency. However, real power was thought to be held by RPF vice president

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebel ...

. On 28 March 1997, Kanyarengwe was sacked from his post as Interior minister after protesting

Rwandan Patriotic Army french: Forces rwandaises de défense sw, Nguvu ya Ulinzi ya Watu wa Rwanda , image = Rwanda Defense Force emblem.png , alt = , caption = , image2 = , alt2 = , caption2 ...

massacres in his home prefecture of

Ruhengeri Ruhengeri, also known as Musanze or Muhoza, is a city and capital of Musanze District in the Northern Province of Rwanda. Some sources now refer to the city itself as Musanze, after the district in which it lies within. This has to do with the a ...

Ignace Karuhije Ignace is a township in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located at Highway 17 (Trans Canada Highway) and Secondary Highway 599, and on the Canadian Pacific Railway between Thunder Bay and Kenora. It is on the shore of Agi ...

, who also protested, was removed on the same day. On 15 February 1998, Kanyarengwe was finally replaced by Paul Kagame as chairman of the RPF.

References

External links

Rwanda - July 1994: what became of the "Men of National Unity"?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanyarengwe, Alexis 1938 births 2006 deaths Hutu people Rwandan soldiers Colonels (military rank) Interior ministers of Rwanda

See also

References

External links