Rose Kabuye
Encyclopedia
Rose Kabuye is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Rwandan Army 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 freedom fighter in the liberation of Rwanda from 1990 through 1993. She subsequently became Mayor of Kigali City, 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
in November of 2008 when she was arrested in Frankfurt, Germany on charges that were lifted in March 2009.
, Rose Kabuye began her military training there in 1986 following graduation from Makerere University with a degree in Political Science and Social Administration. She joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front
(RPF), in the early 80's. 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 organized 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.
. 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 reorganization 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.
) and the President of Burundi
(Cyprien Ntaryamira
) was shot down
, near Kigali airport, killing both leaders. This event was the catalyst for the pre-planned Rwandan Genocide
which, over the course of some 100 days, claimed the lives of 800,000 to one million people.
In November 2006, French Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière
issued an arrest warrant for nine people, including Rose Kabuye, for allegedly having been involved in the attack. On November 9, 2008, she was arrested in Germany while traveling on business. After the arrest, Rwandan President Kagame expelled the German ambassador and ordered his envoy in Berlin to return to Kigali
"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.
Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Rwanda. He rose to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front , whose victory over the incumbent government in July 1994 effectively ended the Rwandan genocide...
in November of 2008 when she was arrested in Frankfurt, Germany on charges that were lifted in March 2009.
Freedom Fighter with the RPF
Raised and educated in UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Rose Kabuye began her military training there in 1986 following graduation from Makerere University with a degree in Political Science and Social Administration. She joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front
Rwandan Patriotic Front
The Rwandan Patriotic Front abbreviated as RPF is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It governs in a coalition with other parties...
(RPF), in the early 80's. 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 organized 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 KigaliKigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
. 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 reorganization 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 mobilization 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 e levation 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 Paul Kagame. 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. She also coordinated State visits to Rwanda including those by U.S. 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 HabyarimanaJuvénal 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...
) and the President of Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
(Cyprien Ntaryamira
Cyprien Ntaryamira
Cyprien Ntaryamira , was President of Burundi from 5 February 1994 until his death when his plane was shot down on 6 April 1994.-Biography:...
) was shot down
Assassination of Habyarimana and Ntaryamira
The assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira on the evening of April 6, 1994, was the catalyst for the Rwandan Genocide. The airplane carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali, Rwanda....
, near Kigali airport, killing both leaders. This event was the catalyst for the pre-planned 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...
which, over the course of some 100 days, claimed the lives of 800,000 to one million people.
In November 2006, French Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière
Jean-Louis Bruguière
Jean-Louis Bruguière 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 . He has garnered controversy for various acts, including the indictment of Rwandan president Paul Kagame for the...
issued an arrest warrant for nine people, including Rose Kabuye, for allegedly having been involved in the attack. On November 9, 2008, she was arrested in Germany while traveling on business. After the arrest, Rwandan President Kagame expelled the German ambassador and ordered his envoy in Berlin to return to Kigali
Kigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
"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.