Rwanda
Rwanda Fact Sheet - November 2008 English version (PDF 64KB)
MDRP Rwanda Activities at a Glance |
|
| Finances |
|
| Activities |
|
| Progress |
|
Table last updated August 2009 |
|
Background
In October 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, consisting of Rwandan refugees, 
invaded
Rwanda from Uganda. The fighting continued until the signing of the 1993 Arusha Peace
Accords. Implementation of the Accords was hindered, however, by key elements of the
governing regime. The death of President Habyarimana in April 1994 unleashed a
genocide, during which at least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed and three
million Rwandans displaced, most of whom fled to refugee camps in the DRC.
Hidden in the crowd were many genocidaires and former soldiers of the FAR. Using refugee camps as staging and recruiting grounds, they began to launch attacks into Rwanda. This led the Government of Rwanda (GoR) to support Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who had promised to oust Mobutu, and in 1996 the camps were forcibly disbanded and many refugees returned to Rwanda. However, after taking over power in DRC, the relationship between Kabila and Rwanda soured. In 1998, the GoR supported a new rebel movement, the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie (RCD) with the goal of ousting Kabila. The Rwandan Patriotic Army next entered the DRC in support of the RCD. Following the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement of July 1999 and the Pretoria Agreement of July 2002, Rwanda completed a withdrawal of its troops from the DRC in October 2002.
Thirteen years after the genocide, security has been restored within Rwanda and the country is enjoying significant economic growth. However, an estimated 7,000 combatants associated with the defeated ex-FAR and the Interahamwe militia, now aligned as the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), continue to operate in the eastern DRC. In the fall of 2008, while the situation in the DRC was deteriorating, the Government of Rwanda started an enhanced cooperation with the DRC to fight against the FDLR and other rebel groups operating in the region.
National Program
Name:
Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Program (RDRP)
Implementing Agency:
Technical Secretariat of the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegrtion Commission (TS/RDRC)
Financing:
$65.5 million (Multi-donor Trust Fund: $14.4 million | IDA : $30.6 million| DFID: $8.8 million | Germany: $8.6 million| Government of Rwanda: $2.7 million| African Union: $342,000)
Status:
Closed December 31, 2008
Objectives:
The program aimed to support the consolidation of peace in the Great Lakes region and foster reconciliation within Rwanda. The four principal objectives of the Program were:
- demobilize an estimated 36,000 ex-combatants from the RDF and members of armed groups, and support their transition to civilian life;
- in the spirit of the Arusha Agreement, support the reinsertion of ex-FAR;
- support the social and economic reintegration of all ex-combatants to be demobilized in stage II and all stage I excombatants who remain socio-economically vulnerable; and
- facilitate the reallocation of Government expenditure from defense to social and economic sectors.
Overall Progress Table:
Final Progress Update:
- 29,641 demobilized. 44,366 beneficiaries received reinsertion support.
- The deterioration of the security situation in eastern DRC significantly slowed down the demobilization and repatriation of the remaining armed groups in eastern DRC.
Special Projects
None.
Country Documents
The following documents will help you better understand the country and its context.
Program Documentation:
Other Documents:
The Leadership of Rwandan Armed Groups Abroad with a Focus on the FDLR and the RUD/Urunana - December 2008
Link to RDRC webpage
RDRP Annual Report 2005 (PDF 1126KB)
Brochure de la Commission Rwandaise de Démobilisation et de Réintégration (PDF 496KB)
Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission Brochure (PDF 503KB)
Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, 1999
Pretoria Agreement, 2002
News:
Rwandan Ex-combatants Succeed in Bakery Project
Interview with John Zigira: Commissioner of the Rwandan Demobilization and Reintegration Commission
A Rwandan Woman Ex-Combatant Succeeds in Her Business
Rwandan Milk Association: Ex-combatants, Civilians Working Together for Success
Contacts
World Bank Blvd. de la Révolution
SORAS Building
Kigali
RWANDA
Marcelo Jorge Fabre
Email: mfabre@worldbank.org
phone: +1 202 473 8477
Fax: +1 202 473 8229
Government Agency
Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission
P.O. Box 7277
Kigali
RWANDA
Jean Sayinzoga
Chairman
Email: demobrwanda@yahoo.com
Relevant Links
This page contains various links to help you better understand the country and its context.
The World Bank: Rwanda
allAfrica.com: Rwanda
Amnesty International: Rwanda
Human Rights Watch: Rwanda
Institute for Strategic Studies: Rwanda
Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN): Rwanda
International Crisis Group: Rwanda
ReliefWeb: Rwanda
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Rwanda
Arusha Peace Accords, 1993
Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, 1999
Pretoria Agreement, 2002
Website links provided on this website are for informational purposes only. Their inclusion does not imply MDRP endorsement of or responsibility for the information included therein.