Wikipedia:Today's featured article/July 23, 2013

Paul Kagame (born 1957) has been President of Rwanda since 2000. Born to a Tutsi family in southern Rwanda, he grew up in Uganda after the Rwandan Revolution ended centuries of Tutsi political dominance. He joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which invaded Rwanda in 1990, taking control after the death of Fred Rwigyema. By 1993, the RPF controlled significant territory in Rwanda and a ceasefire was negotiated. The assassination of Rwandan President Habyarimana in 1994 was the starting point of the Rwandan Genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Tutsi and moderate Hutu. Kagame resumed the civil war, and ended the genocide with a military victory. During his vice presidency, Kagame controlled the national army and maintained law and order. Many RPF soldiers carried out retribution killings; it is disputed whether Kagame organised these or was merely powerless to stop them. As president, Kagame has prioritised national development, and the country is developing strongly on key indicators including health care and education. He is popular in Rwanda and with some foreign observers; however, human rights groups accuse him of political repression. (Full article...)

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