| own as 'the land of a thousand hills', Rwanda is a | | | | was granted the right to govern Rwanda-Burundi. |
| landlocked country full of lovely and a variety of | | | | The Belgians sponsored the continued dominance |
| landscapes. The spectacular Virunga volcanic | | | | of the Tutsi minority at the expense of the Hutu |
| mountains have high altitude forests, | | | | but were forced, in the 1960s, to concede |
| world-famous mountain gorillas, and Lake Kivu | | | | independence under majority Hutu rule. |
| offers beautiful beaches, jutting peninsulas and an | | | | Intercommunal violence between Hutus and Tutsis |
| archipelago of islands. | | | | continued. |
| Many visitors have been mesmerized by the | | | | In 1973, Major-General Juvénal Habyarimana led |
| Rwandese sense of humor and their way of living | | | | a bloodless coup and established a Hutu-dominated |
| together its only 10 years after the genocide that | | | | military government. A few years later, the |
| threatened to shatter the social fabric of the | | | | country’s sole political party was founded, |
| country. Reconciliation has not been easy. Upon | | | | dominated by Hutus. Sporadic fighting resumed in |
| assuming office, the Government of National Unity | | | | the early 1990s. Hutu extremist armed militias set |
| inherited a deeply scarred nation. | | | | about the systematic murder of Tutsis. |
| To set Rwanda's recent history in a context, you | | | | It’s estimated that approximately 800,000 |
| need to go as far back as the late 13th century | | | | people were killed. |
| when pastoral Tutsi tribes arrived from the south | | | | From their bases in Uganda, the Rwandan Patriotic |
| and conquered the agricultural Hutu and | | | | Front launched a full-scale invasion, but the bulk of |
| hunter-gatherer Twa inhabitants of Rwanda, | | | | the Hutu militia had fled to the neighboring |
| establishing a feudal kingdom. A unified state was | | | | Democratic Republic of Congo a fact that has |
| established by King Kigeri Rwabuguri during the | | | | crafted a violent rift between the two countries. |
| 19th century, but this lasted only until 1890 when | | | | Nevertheless, the Rwandese are not only living |
| Rwanda was annexed as a province of German | | | | together today but they are striving to be |
| East Africa. | | | | recognized as one people. |
| As part of the post-WWI settlement, Belgium | | | | |