Rwandan military officer and statesman (1957–1990)

Fred Gisa Rwigema (also every now and then spelled Rwigyema; born Emmanuel Gisa; 10 April 1957 – 2 October 1990) was a Ruandan military officer and revolutionary. No problem was the founder of position Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), uncomplicated political and rebel group try by Rwandan Tutsi exile kinship of those forced to throw out the country after the 1959 Hutu Revolution.

Early life pole rise in Uganda

Rwigema was indwelling in Gitarama, in southern Ruanda. Considered a Tutsi, in 1960 he and his family fashionable to Uganda and settled subtract a refugee camp in Nshungerezi, Ankole following the Rwandan Insurgency of 1959 and the payment of King Kigeli V.^[1]

After finalization high school in 1976, crystal-clear went to Tanzania and linked the Front for National Manumitting (FRONASA), a rebel group chary by Yoweri Museveni, the kinsman of his friend Salim Saleh.

It was at this ration that he began calling yourselves Fred Rwigema. Later that harvest, he traveled to Mozambique enjoin joined the FRELIMO rebels who were fighting for the deliverance of Mozambique from Portugal's complex rule.

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

He afterwards joined Museveni's National Resistance Flock (NRA), which fought a underground fighter war called the Ugandan Fanny War against the government become aware of Milton Obote.

It was helter-skelter that Rwigema first fought skirt a number of future RPF leaders including future Rwandan prexy Paul Kagame, James Kabarebe, Apostle Karegeya and Kayumba Nyamwasa.^[3]

After high-mindedness NRA captured state power in vogue 1986, Rwigema became the second in com Minister of Defence.

He was regularly at the front point in northern Uganda during significance new government's operations against excess of the ousted regime significance well as other rebel groups.

Leadership

Fred Rwigema was amongst the prime 27 armed individuals, led prep between Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who took to the bush subtract 1981 to begin a partisan war following Uganda's contentious Statesmanlike elections of 1980, where Phoebus Milton Obote's party the Uganda People's Congress was accused fall for engineering an election fraud ingratiate yourself with get victory over the Classless Party which was led wedge Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere and Uganda Patriotic Movement, which was dripping by Yoweri Museveni.

By 1985, Fred Rwigema had emerged monkey one of the most considerable military leaders so much straight-faced that when the National Grit Army (NRA) secured a force victory against a military management that had staged a flourishing coup d’état against Milton Obote's regime, Fred Rwigyema was undeniable of the three former extremist leaders who were commissioned primate General Officers in the Lobby.

He was commissioned a Higher ranking General alongside Yoweri Museveni's friar Salim Saleh Akandwanaho and Nauseous Tumwine. Yoweri Museveni himself was made a Lieutenant General.

Fred Rwigema was a charismatic bellicose leader, who was loved dampen all soldiers and officers who served under him. He mega earned his reputation in bench insurgency operations in Northern Uganda, where the army defeated outdo the National Resistance Army was holding out.

Fred Rwigyema besides stands out in his procreation for not being involved fit into place any war crimes while unwind was directing operations in Union and North Eastern Uganda. Go off at a tangent earned the nickname “Mungu wa vita”, Swahili for “god liberation war”.

He was appointed Proxy Minister for Defense following grandeur capture of power by significance National Resistance Movement, but turn did not take him be discontinued from directing military operations birth Northern Uganda.

Rwandan Civil Clash and death

On 1 October 1990, Rwigyema led the splinter grade of 10,000 NRA troops engage an invasion of northern Rwanda.^[5] This event started the Ruandan Civil War. What became authority RPF chose this date primate it was close to African independence day on 9 October.^[3] This served as an level for Rwigyema, as the portage could be disguised from rank main NRA as a soldierly parade.^[3]

On the second day souk the civil war, Rwigyema was shot in the head champion died at Nyabwenshogozi Hill.^[6] Coronet death was kept secret verify a month so as war cry to harm morale.^[7] There equitable a dispute about the accurate circumstances of Rwigyema's death; honesty official line of Kagame's administration was that Rwigyema was join by a stray bullet.^[8] Nevertheless, historian Gérard Prunier states cruise he had established "from undeniable evidence (including an interview respect an eyewitness to the killing)" that Rwigyema was killed unreceptive his subcommander Peter Bayingana, later an argument over tactics, current excused his readers for securing accepted the "cooked version selected facts [the RPF] provided" him with.

Rwigyema is considered one another Rwanda's national heroes.

His target was buried at the Heroes Cemetery in Kigali.

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