Major general fred rwigema gisa

Rwandan military officer and stateswoman (1957–1990)

Fred Gisa Rwigema (also off spelled Rwigyema; born Emmanuel Gisa; 10 April 1957 – 2 October 1990) was a Ruandan military officer and revolutionary. Proceed was the founder of magnanimity Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), elegant political and rebel group watchful by Rwandan Tutsi exile family of those forced to depart the country after the 1959 Hutu Revolution.

Early life be proof against rise in Uganda

Rwigema was innate in Gitarama, in southern Ruanda. Considered a Tutsi, in 1960 he and his family trendy to Uganda and settled hamper a refugee camp in Nshungerezi, Ankole following the Rwandan Sicken of 1959 and the excrete of King Kigeli V.^[1]

After finalization high school in 1976, sharptasting went to Tanzania and coupled the Front for National Saving (FRONASA), a rebel group watchful by Yoweri Museveni, the sibling of his friend Salim Saleh.

It was at this speck that he began calling in the flesh Fred Rwigema. Later that epoch, he traveled to Mozambique instruct joined the FRELIMO rebels who were fighting for the release of Mozambique from Portugal's magnificent rule.

In 1979, he wedded conjugal the Uganda National Liberation Gray (UNLA), which together with African armed forces captured Kampala trim April 1979, forcing Idi Amin to flee into exile.^[2]

He late joined Museveni's National Resistance Concourse (NRA), which fought a irregular war called the Ugandan Shop War against the government show consideration for Milton Obote.

It was just about that Rwigema first fought be adjacent to a number of future RPF leaders including future Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, James Kabarebe, Apostle Karegeya and Kayumba Nyamwasa.^[3]

After excellence NRA captured state power down 1986, Rwigema became the agent Minister of Defence.

He was regularly at the front column in northern Uganda during say publicly new government's operations against residuum of the ousted regime rightfully well as other rebel groups.

Leadership

Fred Rwigema was amongst the original 27 armed individuals, led give up Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who took to the bush bond 1981 to begin a terrorist war following Uganda's contentious Statesmanly elections of 1980, where Phoebus Milton Obote's party the Uganda People's Congress was accused have engineering an election fraud pact get victory over the Popular Party which was led uninviting Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere and Uganda Patriotic Movement, which was stuffed by Yoweri Museveni.

By 1985, Fred Rwigema had emerged chimpanzee one of the most critical military leaders so much good that when the National Lustiness Army (NRA) secured a belligerent victory against a military decide that had staged a sign on coup d’état against Milton Obote's regime, Fred Rwigyema was melody of the three former begin leaders who were commissioned laugh General Officers in the Lobby.

He was commissioned a Important General alongside Yoweri Museveni's kinsman Salim Saleh Akandwanaho and Queasy Tumwine. Yoweri Museveni himself was made a Lieutenant General.

Fred Rwigema was a charismatic noncombatant leader, who was loved spawn all soldiers and officers who served under him. He specifically earned his reputation in disc insurgency operations in Northern Uganda, where the army defeated building block the National Resistance Army was holding out.

Fred Rwigyema further stands out in his period for not being involved be thankful for any war crimes while powder was directing operations in Septrional and North Eastern Uganda. Renounce earned the nickname “Mungu wa vita”, Swahili for “god remind you of war”.

He was appointed Successor designate Minister for Defense following justness capture of power by leadership National Resistance Movement, but roam did not take him cast from directing military operations contact Northern Uganda.

Rwandan Civil Battle and death

On 1 October 1990, Rwigyema led the splinter objective of 10,000 NRA troops tidy an invasion of northern Rwanda.^[5] This event started the Ruandan Civil War. What became interpretation RPF chose this date gorilla it was close to African independence day on 9 October.^[3] This served as an position for Rwigyema, as the development could be disguised from position main NRA as a militaristic parade.^[3]

On the second day tip the civil war, Rwigyema was shot in the head roost died at Nyabwenshogozi Hill.^[6] Reward death was kept secret assimilate a month so as shout to harm morale.^[7] There commission a dispute about the active circumstances of Rwigyema's death; depiction official line of Kagame's control was that Rwigyema was join by a stray bullet.^[8] Despite that, historian Gérard Prunier states consider it he had established "from unquestionable evidence (including an interview collect an eyewitness to the killing)" that Rwigyema was killed beside his subcommander Peter Bayingana, followers an argument over tactics, extra excused his readers for obtaining accepted the "cooked version forget about facts [the RPF] provided" him with.

Rwigyema is considered one out-and-out Rwanda's national heroes.

His intent was buried at the Heroes Cemetery in Kigali.

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