April 6 How Paul Kagame Sparked the Rwandan Genocide to Seize Power

On April 6, 1994, at exactly 8:30 p.m., Rwanda lost its president, Juvénal Habyarimana. His plane was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali. Also on board was the president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, and several top government officials. All of them were killed. Just 10 hours later, mass killings began. It was the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide.

This attack was not just a tragedy. It was a crime. A planned assassination that opened the door for Paul Kagame and his rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, to take power by force. The international community, especially the United States and its allies, stayed silent. Some even helped Kagame achieve this bloody goal.

Kagame’s Plan to Kill the President

According to soldiers who worked with Kagame, like James Munyandinda and Émilie Gafirita, it was the RPF that shot down the presidential plane. They used surface-to-air missiles that were hidden in Kigali, and they waited for the right moment to strike. As soon as the plane crashed, the celebration started at the RPF base in Murinda.

Gafirita, who was ready to testify in France, disappeared just two days before his flight. Many believe Kagame had him killed. Why? Because he knew too much. Because he was ready to expose the truth.

The missiles were fired by two Kagame soldiers, Corporal Eric Hakizimana and Second Lieutenant Frank Nziza. These names are known, yet no justice has been done.

The Genocide Started That Same Night

After the assassination, Rwanda became hell. First, moderate Hutus and Tutsis were killed. Then, the violence spread across the country. The genocide was brutal. Men, women, children, and babies were murdered.

But what most people don’t know is that Kagame's own people helped create more chaos. His special units, called technicians, planted grenades in public areas, built fake roadblocks, and encouraged young people to join the killings. These men had already been placed in Kigali under the name "Battalion 600." Instead of guarding political leaders, they helped destroy the nation.

A Stolen Peace

Before this horror, Rwanda had signed the Arusha Peace Accords in 1993. These agreements were supposed to bring peace and lead to democratic elections. But Kagame did not want elections. He knew his party, the RPF, could not win. So he chose violence.

President Habyarimana knew something bad was coming. Just two days before his death, he visited Zaire’s President Mobutu and told him about the plan to kill him. He said that Western powers, especially America and Belgium, had abandoned him and were now working with Kagame. He feared the missiles were already in place. He was right.

The Silence of the World

After the killings began, Kagame blocked the United Nations from intervening. He told them not to come, saying everything was under control. While Tutsis and Hutus were dying, the RPF pushed its way to Kigali and took over the government.

The world stayed silent. Reports from investigators like Robert Gersony were hidden. The truth was covered up. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was blocked from looking into the crimes of the RPF. Only the crimes of Hutu extremists were judged.

Why was Kagame protected? Because he promised to be a friend to powerful Western countries. He gave them access to Rwanda and the Congo. In return, they helped him rewrite history.

After Rwanda, the Congo Suffered

Once Kagame took control of Rwanda, he sent his army into the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, his soldiers hunted down Hutu refugees and killed them. Millions of people died in Congo. This is what many now call the Genocost. The victims were not only Tutsis in 1994.

The victims were also Hutus in Congo. But Kagame and his allies refuse to talk about that.

Kagame became a dictator, ruling with fear. Elections are fake. Opposition is silenced. He only honors Tutsi victims and ignores the death of Hutus and others. This is not justice. This is propaganda.

Thirty-one years later, Kagame still sits on his throne, protected by lies. But the truth is known. The RPF triggered the genocide by killing President Habyarimana. The RPF destroyed peace. The RPF helped create chaos and used it to take power.

Now, families of the victims are calling for an independent international investigation. They want justice not only for the Tutsi victims but also for the Hutu victims and the many others killed in Congo. They want the truth about April 6, 1994, to finally come out.

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