In 1994, ethnic conflict turned to genocide in Rwanda. When the world finally took notice, a million people lay dead, and the small African country lay in ruins. Rwanda returned from the brink guided by rulers determined to rebuild the country on their own terms, rather than those of a previously indifferent international community. Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s first democratically elected president, embodies the new Rwandan political philosophy. Young, unconventional, not without flaws and critics—Kagame is key to understanding Rwanda’s transition from a country that had known only fear, division and clan-based nepotism for many years to an exceptional African state built upon traditional order and values.
Paul Kagame’s life—from exiled child refugee, to guerilla warrior and rebel politician, to President of Rwanda—is traced in this exploration of the influences on Rwanda’s struggle for change. Analyzing the conflicts and challenges of post-genocide Rwanda in comparison to modern parallels, the work invites reassessment of Kagame’s leadership and government in an African context rather than measurement against Western standards, and critiques Western involvement in Rwanda since the early 1990s. Twenty-eight photographs and three maps supplement the text, as do a history of Rwanda’s Banyarwanda people and a glossary of words in Kinyarwanda, their language. The work includes a bibliography and an index.

Colin M. Waugh is a research and development manager who divides his time between his native Scotland, New York and West Africa. He maintains a home in Ghana, from which he monitors the region’s political affairs. He first visited Rwanda in 1994, and has worked extensively on many African humanitarian projects.

Colin M. Waugh
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 364
Bibliographic Info: photos, maps, glossary, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2004
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1941-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1315-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Preface      1

1. Exodus and Exile      7

2. Rebel Movements      27

3. The Invasion of 1990      46

4. Offensive Against Genocide      63

5. Rebuilding Foreign Relations      85

6. Refugee Return and the United Nations      102

7. Hot Pursuit in the Congo      124

8. Transition and Controversy      146

9. From Genocide to Gacaca: Delivering Justice in Rwanda      166

10. Consulting the People      185

11. Recovery and Reconciliation      207

Appendix: The Banyarwanda in East African History      225

Glossary      239

Chapter Notes      241

Bibliography      247

Index      249

“interesting, informative…impressive…highly recommended”—Choice; “highly readable…thought-provoking story”—Journal of Genocide Research; “fills a vital gap…should be compulsory reading”— Dr. Alan Goodall, Consulate of Rwanda (in Scotland).