RWANDA. Republic of Rwanda
A state in East Africa. Area - 26,338 thousand km². Capital - Kigali (approx. 600 thousand). Administratively, the territory of the country is divided into 12 provinces. Population - 8.5 million (2004); national-ethnic groups: Hutu - 85% of the population, Tutsi - 13.5%, Pygmies - Twa - about 1.5%. Official languages - French, English, Kinyarwanda (Bantu group). Main religions: over 55% of the population are Catholics, about 24% are Protestants, 11% are Adventists, 4% are Muslims. Some of the population adheres to local traditional beliefs. Currency - Rwandan franc (1 USD = 500 Rwandan francs).
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on December 17, 1963).
National holiday - July 1 - Independence Day (1962).
The basis of the current constitution of the country (adopted in May 1995) was formed by: the constitution of June 10, 1991, the Arusha Peace Agreement of August 4, 1993, the statement of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) of July 17, 1994, "On the Creation of State Structures," and the agreement of 8 political parties on the formation of state institutions of November 24, 1994. The head of state is the president, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces of the country (since April 2000 - Paul Kagame (Tutsi), re-elected in the presidential elections in August 2003). The government is appointed by the president and operates under his guidance. The current government was sworn in on October 21, 2003, and includes 28 ministers and state secretaries (including 14 Tutsi and 13 Hutu); the prime minister is Bernard Makuza.
On October 10, 2003, members of the new parliament were sworn in. The pro-presidential bloc led by the Rwandan Patriotic Front received the majority of seats. The chairman of the Chamber of Deputies is Alfred Mukezamfura, and the chairman of the Senate is Vincent Biruta. The activities of political parties and organizations are regulated by the Law "On the Activities of Political Associations and Political Figures," adopted in June 2004. Party activity is permitted only at the national level and at the provincial level.
Currently, there are 8 registered parties in Rwanda. The Rwandan Patriotic Front plays a leading role in the life of the country. Other main parties include: the Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, the Christian Democratic Party, the Party for Islamic Democracy, the Rwandan Socialist Party, and the Democratic Union of the Rwandan People. The activities of trade unions are virtually unnoticed.
Before colonization, Rwanda was a feudal kingdom. The penetration of Europeans, which began in the 19th century, was carried out through military expeditions and Christian missions. In 1894, a German military post was established in the territory of the country. In 1898, the Kingdom of Rwanda became part of German East Africa, which was merged with Burundi into a single territory called Ruanda-Urundi. Since 1923, according to a decision by the League of Nations, Ruanda-Urundi became a mandated territory of Belgium. The Belgian colonial administration concentrated power in its hands, removing the local elite belonging to the Tutsi ethnicity from governance. In an attempt to weaken their aspirations for independence, the Belgians began to involve Hutu in the political life of the country. In particular, since 1952, the councils of the districts into which the country was divided became partially elected, which increased the representation of Hutu in power, and in 1959, 120 officials from the Hutu representatives were appointed to the local administration.
The rise of the national liberation movement in the country allowed Rwanda to gain autonomy in 1959. In October 1960, the first temporary government (7 Rwandans and 2 Europeans) was formed under the leadership of Kayibanda (the leader of the Republican Democratic Movement Parmehutu).
In May 1961, a conference in the city of Gitarama, with the participation of members of the temporary government, district councils, and others, officially deposed the mwami (king) Kigeli V, who had left Rwanda a year earlier, and in a referendum in September of the same year, the majority of the population (83% of votes) voted for the abolition of the monarchy.
After the proclamation of independence on July 1, 1962, President H. Kayibanda (Hutu) came to power in Rwanda, who was overthrown in July 1973 by the military. The president became the Minister of the National Guard J. Habyarimana (also Hutu), who was re-elected to this post in 1978, 1983, and 1988. Under him, a multiparty system was introduced in June 1991.
In October 1990, troops of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, consisting of former Rwandan Tutsi refugees who opposed J. Habyarimana and served in the Ugandan army, entered the country from Uganda. In August 1993, the Agreement on the Cessation of Civil War, the formation of a transitional multiparty government with the participation of the RPF, and preparations for general democratic elections were signed in the city of Arusha (Tanzania).
In April 1994, a plane carrying President J. Habyarimana was shot down, and a civil war flared up in Rwanda with renewed vigor, leading to large-scale ethnic clashes that resulted in mass killings, which were classified as genocide in UN Security Council resolutions.
From December 1993 to March 1996, a UN mission for humanitarian assistance to Rwanda was present in the country.
After the military victory of the RPF in July 1994, a Government of National Unity was formed, amendments were made to the constitution, and a transitional period was designated until 2000, extended in June 1999 until 2003. As a result of the elections held in August 2003, Paul Kagame (Tutsi) was re-elected president.
Rwanda is an agrarian country. The basis of its economy is agriculture, specializing in the production of export crops and the primary processing of agricultural raw materials. About 90% of the active population is employed in this sector.
More than 1 million people are unemployed. About 60% of the population lives below the poverty line. External debt - 1.4 billion USD.
GDP in 2004 was approximately 1.1 billion USD (260 USD per capita). GDP growth in 2004 was about 5.1%. The share of agriculture in GDP is 41.5%, industry - 22%, services - 36.5%.
Among the main problems facing the country are the trade balance deficit (exports - about 100 million USD, imports - about 300 million USD), the imbalance of the state budget in terms of income and expenses, and a small volume of investments (less than 8% of GDP).
The estimated needs of the country for external financial assistance over the next 3 years amount to about 1 billion USD.
The products of the agro-industrial sector account for more than 80% of the value of exports. The leading sector of agriculture is crop production. 1.25 million hectares are cultivated (about 42% of the country's territory). Traditional food crops include sorghum, sweet potatoes, cassava, corn, potatoes, and bananas. The main export crops are coffee (30-33 thousand tons), tea (7-8 thousand tons), as well as cotton and quinine. Livestock farming is extensive (about 2 million heads). Fishing and fish farming are poorly developed.
In industry, the most significant sector is mining (tin, tungsten, tantalum, beryllium, gold). There are hydroelectric power stations and several thermal power plants (more than 20% of electricity consumption is covered by imports). Small enterprises for processing coffee, tea, and tobacco are mainly located in the capital.
There are no railways. Road transport plays a major role in freight transportation. The total length of roads is 13.2 thousand km, including about 1 thousand km with a hard surface. The international airport in the capital (Kigali) serves about half a million passengers a year.
Telephone, fax, and telex communication works reliably only in the capital, although it is available in the centers of most prefectures. Mobile communication is developing.
In Rwanda, about 20 periodicals are published, the circulation of which is relatively small. The Rwandan Press Agency and the Rwandan Information Center operate. Radio and television broadcasting is conducted in French, English, and Kinyarwanda.