Juvenal Habyarimana

Juvenal Habyarimana was a Hutu politician and former President of Rwanda. He was killed in 1994 when his airplane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. His death sparked ethnic violence that eventually became known as the Rwandan Genocide.

Fast Facts

1. Born: March 8, 1937
2. President of Rwanda: 1973 to 1994
3. Died: April 6, 1994
4. Killed in a plane crash after his jet was hit by a surface-to-air missile
5. Death sparked violence that became known as the Rwandan Genocide

Assassination Mystery

The assassination of Juvenal Haryarimana remains a mystery to this day. A 2006 report from French investigators indicated that Paul Kagame, then a leader of Tutsi militia groups, may have been responsible for the attack. Kagame denied any responsibility for the assassination attack as well as any responsibility for the Rwandan Genocide that followed. Others, including United Nations officers in Rwanda at the time, suspect Hutu forces may have launched the attack to prevent Habyarimana form signing a peace agreement with Tutsi militias

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