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Uwilingiyimana 's family - Agathe Uwilingiyimana -

Agathe Uwilingiyimana (23 May 1953-7 April 1994) was Prime Minister of Rwanda from 18 July 1993 to 7 April 1994, succeeding Dismas Nsengiyaremye and preceding Jean Kambanda. She was a member of the Republican Democratic Movement.

Biography[]

Agathe Uwilingiyimana was born in Nyaruhengeri, Rwanda in 1953. She worked as a schoolteacher before joining the Republican Democratic Movement (MDR), and she became Minister of Education in 1992. Uwilingiyimana became Prime Minister of Rwanda on 18 July 1993, being the first and only woman to assume that position. In her role as head of government, she participated together with the government of President Juvénal Habyarimana, in negotiations with the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a guerrilla led by Paul Kagame. The talks led to the signing of the Arusha Accords in August 1993, temporarily ending the Rwandan Civil War.

On 7 April 1994, President Habyarimana was assassinated after unknown persons shot down the plane carrying him. The assassination unleashed a wave of violence in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. Hours later, troops loyal to Habyarimana confronted Uwilingiyimana and international troops from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR). The Prime Minister was sexually assaulted and killed, while ten Belgian soldiers were tortured and executed, five Ghanaian UNAMIR soldiers were previously released. The events of April 7 subsequently unleashed the Rwandan genocide, which killed between 500,000 and 2 million Rwandans.

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