History of RPF/Inkotanyi

Introduction

The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) started as a liberation movement which was created to deal with a deepening crisis within Rwanda in the late 80’s. This crisis was manifesting itself in many ways such as the demographic time-bomb with a population overload. These demographic effects were worsened by poor economic that created a stagnant economy. The political scene was also in crisis as Rwanda was an oppressive one-party state ruled by the MRND (National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development) and no other political parties were allowed. All Rwandans were illegally forced to be a member of the MRND by force. The worst aspect of this crisis was the deepening social and ethnic divisions along tribal lines that were being fostered by the MRND government. It was because of this crisis that the RPF was formed.

Origins and Objectives of the RPF

Rwanda was originally colonised by Germany as it was awarded during the Berlin conference called by Otto von Bismark, the then Chancellor in 1884. Gustav Adolf Von Goetzen met with the King (Mwami) to establish a German protectorate in 1894. The Germans kept the existing system they had found and ruled in conjunction with the Mwami. When Germany lost World War I Rwanda was held under the mandate of the League of Nations with Belgium administering Rwanda on its behalf.

The Belgians moved to strictly categorise Rwandans on the basis of tribe and race. So what had previously been loosely-based economic castes became set in stone and officially categorised in all colonial documents. By the 50’s the relationship between the monarchy and their colonial masters had broken down, the Mwami Rudahigwa asked for independence, so the Belgians switched sides to support Hutu nationalism. In 1959 the Mwami died in suspicious circumstances on a medical trip to a doctor in Bujumbura, this began the chaotic events leading to decolonisation.

A new Mwami was appointed but didn’t last long, events were taking a momentum of their own. A referendum quickly arranged by the Belgians voted to abolish the monarchy but also chose to stay a Belgian colony. The referendum in 1959 was followed by massacres of the minority Tutsi by nationalist elements among the Hutu majority, as many as 100,000 died with many more fleeing to exile in Uganda, Congo, Burundi and Tanzania. The Belgians did not have an exit strategy for Rwanda, the UN set a deadline of 1962 for Rwanda to be independent. Gregoire Kayibanda and his Parmehutu party fomented and exploited ethnic tension to rise to power.

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