Rose Kabuye (born Rose Kanyange; 22 April 1961 in Muvumba,

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 ...

)Issue of international arrest warrant
by Judge

Jean-Louis Bruguière Jean-Louis Bruguière (born 29 May 1943) was the leading French investigating magistrate in charge of counter-terrorism affairs. He was appointed in 2004 vice-president of the Paris Court of Serious Claims (''Tribunal de Grande Instance''). He ...

is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the

Rwandan 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 ...

and remains the highest ranking woman ever to serve in her country's armed forces. She is currently working in the private sector as chief executive officer of Virunga Logistics and Startech Limited but is best known for her work as a fighter for the

Rwanda 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, win ...

during the

Rwandan Civil War The Rwandan Civil War was a large-scale civil war in Rwanda which was fought between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the country's government, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) from 1October 1990 to 18 July 1994. The war arose ...

]. She subsequently became Mayor of

Kigali City Kigali () is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwanda's economic, cultu ...

, Rwandan Chief of State Protocol, and a member of the Rwandan parliament. Because of her participation in the liberation struggle, she was awarded The Rwandan National Liberation Medal and the Campaign Against Genocide Medal. She was serving as the chief of protocol of Rwandan 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 ...

in November 2008 when she was arrested in Frankfurt, Germany on charges that were lifted in March 2009.

Rwandan Civil War

Raised and educated in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

, Rose Kabuye began her military training there in 1986 following graduation from

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

with a degree in Political Science and Social Administration. She 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), in the early 1980s. In the rank of a major, she took part in the 1990 invasion of Northern Rwanda from Uganda to win refugees the right to return to their homeland. In 1993, she became the RPF's Director of Welfare and was placed in charge of caring for sick and disabled victims of the war. She became a leader of RPF women fighters and organised regular meetings to engage them as a group and provide vital psychological support. Her skills as a negotiator began to emerge during her participation in 1992 peace talks between the RPF and the former Rwandan government.

Mayor of Rwanda's Capital City: Kigali

In 1994, immediately following the war, Rose Kabuye was appointed mayor of the capital

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

. where she was intimately involved in humanitarian activities as well as rehabilitating vital infrastructure including water and electricity. As mayor through 1998, she focused on solving housing problems in her city by constructing temporary shelters for the poor as well as survivors of the Rwandan genocide. She is credited with reorganisation and rehabilitation of Kigali's commercial activities during her tenure. She established the Kigali Lottery and directed proceeds to pay for the education of 100 genocide orphans.

Member of Parliament and Champion of Women

In 1998, Rose Kabuye became a Member of the Rwandan Parliament where she served as Chairperson of the Defense and Security Committee. As a member of the Women's Parliamentary Forum, she was involved in the mobilisation of women on a grassroots level and worked to rescind a range of laws that discriminated against women. She was an advocate for the training of women leaders and the elevation of women in more decision-making areas of Rwandan government. Rwanda now has the highest percentage of women in Parliament of any parliamentary nation in the world. While MP, Rose Kabuye participated in the drafting of the new Rwandan constitution and its dissemination to the populace for input and adoption.

Chief of State Protocol under President Kagame

In 2003, Rose Kabuye began a 7-year tenure as Chief of State Protocol under Rwandan President

. In that role, she advised top Rwandan government leaders on matters of national and international protocol; accompanied the President on all official travel; and planned and hosted numerous ceremonial events for visiting heads of state and other visiting dignitaries. She planned and coordinated, among other major events, The New Partnership for Africa's Development (2000) and

COMESA The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional economic community in Africa with twenty-one member states stretching from Tunisia to Eswatini. COMESA was formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area whic ...

– the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. She also coordinated State visits to Rwanda including those by US president and Mrs. George W. Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. She accompanied President Kagame on his visits to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Other Volunteer Leadership Roles

Rose Kabuye served as Chair Person for the Kigali City AIDS Committee launching programs to educate Rwandans about HIV/AIDS and how to prevent its spread. She served on the Board of Ndabaga—an NGO for Demobilized Women Soldiers. She is an Executive Member of Forum for African Women Educationlists (FAWE Rwanda Chapter) and core member of Women Waging Peace.

Controversy over 1994 Plane Crash

In 1994, a plane carrying the president of Rwanda (

Juvenal Habyarimana Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the ''Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...

) and the President of

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

(

Cyprien Ntaryamira Cyprien Ntaryamira (6 March 1955 – 6 April 1994) was a Burundian politician who served as President of Burundi from 5 February 1994 until his death two months later. A Hutu born in Burundi, Ntaryamira studied there before fleeing to Rwanda ...

) was shot down, near Kigali airport, killing both leaders. This event was the catalyst for the genocide against tutsi which, over the course of some 100 days, claimed the lives of between 800,000 and one million people. In November 2006, French Judge

issued an arrest warrant for nine people, including Rose Kabuye, for allegedly having been involved in the attack. On 9 November 2008, she was arrested in Germany while travelling on business. After the arrest, Rwandan President Kagame expelled the German ambassador and ordered his envoy in Berlin to return to

"for consultations." Demonstrators staged protests in front of the German embassy in Kigali carrying signs that read: "Shame on you, Germany! Seventy years after the Holocaust, you arrest a woman who put a stop to genocide." Charges against Rose Kabuye were lifted in March 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabuye, Rose African women in war Rwandan soldiers People of the Rwandan genocide 1961 births Living people Women in warfare post-1945 Women soldiers