By Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar | Katsina Times
Paul Kagame was born on October 23, 1957, in Ruhango, southern Rwanda. Just two years after his birth, his family fled to Uganda due to political and ethnic violence in Rwanda. Growing up in Uganda, Kagame joined the National Resistance Army (NRA), where he played a key role in overthrowing the regimes of Idi Amin and Milton Obote, ultimately helping Yoweri Museveni rise to power in 1986.
In 1987, Kagame co-founded the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a movement of Tutsi refugees seeking to return home and reform Rwanda’s governance. In 1990, the RPF launched an armed rebellion against President Juvénal Habyarimana’s government, triggering a civil war. Following the death of RPF’s leader, Fred Rwigyema, Kagame took over as commander and led the movement until 1994. That year, the assassination of Habyarimana sparked the Rwandan Genocide, in which more than one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed.
Under Kagame’s leadership, the RPF seized control of the capital, Kigali, in July 1994, ending the genocide. He then became Vice President and Minister of Defense from 1994 to 2000, overseeing national reconstruction and security. When President Pasteur Bizimungu resigned in 2000, Kagame assumed the presidency.
Since then, he has been re-elected multiple times—in 2003, 2010, 2017, and 2024—each time winning by a significant margin. Under his leadership, Rwanda has experienced economic growth, improved security, and reduced corruption. However, Kagame has also faced criticism for restricting political freedoms and extending his rule.
In 2015, Rwanda’s constitution was amended, allowing Kagame to run for a third term, a move that sparked international debate. On the global stage, he served as Chairperson of the African Union (AU) from 2018 to 2019, where he spearheaded key reforms.
In recent years, Kagame’s government has been accused of supporting the M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an allegation Rwanda denies. The ongoing conflict has raised tensions in the region.
Paul Kagame is married to Jeannette Nyiramongi, and they have four children. Despite controversies surrounding his leadership, he remains one of Africa’s most influential political figures, shaping Rwanda’s post-genocide recovery and its role in international affairs.
