Agathe Habyarimana
Encyclopedia
Agathe Habyarimana is the widow of former President of Rwanda Juvénal Habyarimana
. Kanziga is part of a Hutu
lineage that long ruled an independent principality until the late nineteenth century. She was arrested by French authorities on 2 March 2010 in France
following the French President Nicolas Sarkozy
's visit to Rwanda.
She was frequently regarded as one of the powers behind the throne during her husband's 20-year presidency, and her family connections to powerful Hutu
politicians are often regarded as having provided necessary political capital for Habyarimana. She was the centre of a powerful clique of northern Hutus called le clan de madame or akazu
(Kinyarwanda for "little house").
On April 9, 1994, immediately following Habyarimana's assassination and the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide
, she was airlifted out of Rwanda
by French troops. In this exodus she was accompanied by thirty other members of the akazu, including Ferdinand Nahimana
, director of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines
. Upon arrival in Paris
, she received a gift of ₣
230 000 from the French government, from a budget allocated for "urgent assistance for Rwandan refugees".
Agathe Habyarimana is the sister of Protais Zigiranyirazo
, who was implicated in the genocide. She was denied political asylum in France on January 4, 2007, but remained in France. She was arrested on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 following French President Nicholas Sarkozy's visit to Rwanda where he admitted to mistakes made by France over the genocide, further stating that France would seek out those responsible for the genocide who were living in France.
In September 2011, a French court denied Rwanda extradition of Habyarimana. A civil suit, perhaps thus weakened, remains.
Juvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana was the third President of the Republic of Rwanda, the post he held longer than any other president to date, from 1973 until 1994. During his 20-year rule he favored his own ethnic group, the Hutus, and supported the Hutu majority in neighboring Burundi against the Tutsi...
. Kanziga is part of a Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
lineage that long ruled an independent principality until the late nineteenth century. She was arrested by French authorities on 2 March 2010 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
following the French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
's visit to Rwanda.
She was frequently regarded as one of the powers behind the throne during her husband's 20-year presidency, and her family connections to powerful Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
politicians are often regarded as having provided necessary political capital for Habyarimana. She was the centre of a powerful clique of northern Hutus called le clan de madame or akazu
Akazu
The Akazu was an informal organization of Hutu extremists, a circle of relatives and close friends of then Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and his influential wife Agathe Habyarimana...
(Kinyarwanda for "little house").
On April 9, 1994, immediately following Habyarimana's assassination and the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
, she was airlifted out of Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
by French troops. In this exodus she was accompanied by thirty other members of the akazu, including Ferdinand Nahimana
Ferdinand Nahimana
Ferdinand Nahimana is a Rwandan historian who was convicted of participating in the Rwandan Genocide.Nahimana was co-founder of the radio station Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines but not the director, which during the genocide broadcast information and propaganda that helped coordinate...
, director of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines
Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines
Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines was a Rwandan radio station which broadcast from July 8, 1993 to July 31, 1994. It played a significant role during the April–July 1994 Rwandan Genocide....
. Upon arrival in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, she received a gift of ₣
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
230 000 from the French government, from a budget allocated for "urgent assistance for Rwandan refugees".
Agathe Habyarimana is the sister of Protais Zigiranyirazo
Protais Zigiranyirazo
Protais Zigiranyirazo commonly known as Monsieur Zed , is a Rwandan businessman and politician. He is the former governor of Ruhengeri prefecture in northwestern Rwanda. He has also been accused of collaborating in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the 1985 murder of Dian Fossey.Between 1974 and...
, who was implicated in the genocide. She was denied political asylum in France on January 4, 2007, but remained in France. She was arrested on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 following French President Nicholas Sarkozy's visit to Rwanda where he admitted to mistakes made by France over the genocide, further stating that France would seek out those responsible for the genocide who were living in France.
In September 2011, a French court denied Rwanda extradition of Habyarimana. A civil suit, perhaps thus weakened, remains.
External links
- Kigali accuse Agathe Habyarimana de génocide, 1 April 2004 (French)