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Agathe Uwilingiyimana…BBC

Agathe Uwilingiyimana

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Agathe Uwilingiyimana was a scholar and the Prime Minister of Rwanda from 1993 to 1994.

Uwilingiyimana a member of the Hutu tribe, caught the attention of oppositional forces who belonged to the Tutsi tribe. Members of the media placed Uwilingiyimana in their crosshairs because they thought women should not occupy the same positions as men.

The Rwandan Patriotic Front, who were comprised of Tutsi members were doubly troubled as they were mistrustful of the Hutu.

On April 6, 1994, President Habyarimana; Cyprien Ntaryamira, the President of Burundi and the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan military; and many others were on the president’s private jet that was shot down out of Rwandan airspace.

After addressing the Rwandan people, the United Nations sent a peacekeeping escort to Uwilingiyimana home comprised of 10 troops from Belgium in the wee hours of the morning. They were to shield Uwilingiyimana and her family from harm as she intended to head to Radio Rwanda the next day in order to encourage calm.

Uwilingiyimana, her husband and her ten Belgian peacekeepers were gunned down. She left behind three children.