History
Main article: History of Rwanda
In 1990, the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front invaded Rwanda from their base in Uganda. The military government of Juvenal Habyarimana responded with genocidal pogroms against Tutsis, who it claimed were trying to re-enslave the Hutus.
Fighting continued until 1992, when the government and the RPF signed a cease-fire agreement in Arusha, Tanzania.
On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying President Habyarimana was shot down in Kigali. Over the next two months, the military and militia groups killed over 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates. The RPF launched another invasion, and captured the northern part of the country by July. French peacekeepers secured the southern part, and the war ended on July 16.
Over 2 million Hutus fled the country after the war, fearing Tutsi retribution. Most have since returned, although some militias remain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and have become involved in that country's civil war.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Rwanda
After its military victory in July 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front organized a coalition government similar to that established by President Juvenal Habyarimana in 1992. Called the Broad Based Government of National Unity, its fundamental law is based on a combination of the constitution, the 1994 Arusha accords, and political declarations by the parties. Habyarimana's National Movement for Democracy and Development was outlawed. Political organizing is banned until 2003.
Prefectures
Main article: Prefectures of Rwanda
Rwanda is divided into 12 prefectures:
