Agathe Uwilingiyimana

**Agathe Uwilingiyimana** (Kinyarwanda: [u.wǐː.ɾiː.ɲɟi.jí.mɑ̂ː.nɑ]; 23 May 1953 – 7 April 1994), sometimes dem know am as **Madame Agathe**, be Rwandan political figure. She serve as Prime Minister of Rwanda from 18 July 1993 until ein assassination for 7 April 1994 top, during de opening stages of de Rwandan genocide. She sanso be Rwanda ein acting head of state for de hours insyd wey e lead up to ein death.

She be Rwanda ein first den so far only female prime minister.

## Ein early life
Dem born Agathe Uwilingiyimana 23 May 1953 for de village of Nyaruhengeri insyd, Butare Province for southern Rwanda insyd, 140 kilometres (87 mi) southeast of de capital Kigali. She move plus ein farming parents to de Belgian Congo to find work, but dem move back to Butare for 1957 insyd. She be a member of de Hutu ethnicity dat make up de majority of de Rwandan population.

After success for public examinations insyd, dem educate am at Notre Dame des Cîteaux Secondary School, den obtain de certificate to teach humanities for 1973 insyd. She continue plus graduate studies for mathematics den chemistry insyd, after wey she becam a schoolteacher for Butare insyd for 1976 insyd. By 1983 she dey teach chemistry at de National University of Rwanda for Butare insyd. She receive a B.Sc. for 1985 insyd, den teach chemistry give four years for Butare academic schools insyd. She receive criticism from traditionalists give promoting mathematics den science study amongst female students.

Uwilingiyimana marry a high-school classmate, Ignace Barahira, for 1976 insyd; she keep ein maiden name, as e be customary give Rwandese women. She get de first of ein five kiddies de next year.

## Rise to prime minister
For 1986 insyd, she create a Soriority den Credit Cooperative Society among de staff of de Butare academic school, den ein high-profile role for de self-help organization insyd bring am to de attention of de Kigali authorities, wey want to appoint decision makers from de discontented south of de country. For 1989 insyd, she becam a director for de Ministry of Commerce insyd.

She join de Republican Democratic Movement (MDR), an opposition party, for 1992 insyd, den dat April, Dismas Nsengiyaremye appoint am Minister of Education, de first opposition prime minister under a power-sharing scheme negotiated between Presido Juvénal Habyarimana den five major opposition parties. As education minister, Uwilingiyamana scrap de academic ethnic quota system, instead dey distribute public school spots den awards for de basis of open merit top. Dis cam for de midst of de Rwandan Civil War of 1990–94 insyd, den earn am de enmity of de Hutu extremists, as de quota system favour Hutus.

Uwilingiyimana succeed Nsengiyaremye as Rwanda ein prime minister for July 17, 1993 top, wey e follow a meeting between Presido Habyarimana den de five parties. Dem divide de party between moderates den extremists, den she be a moderate. Nsengiyaremye den de MDR convene an extraordinary congress for Kabusunzu insyd for 23–24 July top, during wey hardliners get am resign from de party, togeda plus de presido of MDR, Faustin Twagiramungu.

Uwilingiyimana briefly resign for view of ein lack of support insyd, but a group of prominent personalities, wey dey include Twagiramungu den Théoneste Bagosora, make am renounce ein resignation. Dem thus split de MDR into two factions each wey e claim to be de real MDR. At a meeting for Kigali insyd, Habyarimana address ein condescendingly as "You, woman!", to wey she reply "Don't talk to me like that. I'm not your wife!"

## Arusha Accords
De Habyarimana–Uwilingiyimana government get de daunting task of successfully dey complete de Arusha Accords plus de rebel Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), de Tutsi-dominated guerilla movement. An agreement between Habyarimana, de five opposition parties (wey Uwilingiyimana ostensibly lead), den de RPF, finally reach for 4 August 1993 top. Under Arusha Accords, Habyarimana ein ruling MRND go fi take de transitional presidency, den de Prime Minister go fi be Faustin Twagiramungu from de MDR.

## Caretaker prime minister
President Habyarimana officially dismiss am as prime minister for 4 August 1993 top, but she stay on for a caretaker capacity insyd give eight months, until dem kill am for April 1994 insyd. Dis be despite being excoriated by all de Hutu-dominated parties, wey e include ein own MDR, den Presido Habyarimana ein ruling party, wey hold a press conference for January 1994 insyd dey attack Uwilingiyimana give being a "political trickster". For November 3, 1993 top, she publicly warn against retaliatory violence against Tutsis give de assassination of de Hutu Burundian Presido, Melchior Ndadaye, den talk say dem use violence to disrupt de Arusha transition.

De swearing in of de Broad Based Transitional Government (BBTG), be say dem want am to take place for 25 March 1994 top. At dat point, dem want Uwilingiyimana to step down for favor of Faustin Twagiramungu insyd, wey dem guarantee am a lower-level ministerial post for de new government insyd. Howeva, de RPF no appear at de ceremony, wey e postpone de establishment of de new regime. She reach agreement plus dem dat dem go fi swear in de new government for de following day top.     

## Ein death
De talks between Presido Habyarimana, Uwilingiyimana, den de Rwandan Patriotic Front never conclude, den surface-to-air missiles shoot down de presido ein plane at around 8:30 pm for 6 April 1994 top. From Habyarimana ein death until ein assassination de following morning (approximately 14 hours), Prime Minister Uwilingiyimana be Rwanda ein constitutional head of state den of government. 

For an interview plus Radio France insyd for de night of Presido Habyarimana ein assassination top, Uwilingiyimana say dat der go fi be an immediate investigation. She say ein home be under siege, den give ein last recorded words:Der be shooting, dem dey terrorize people, people dey for demma homes insyd dey lie for de floor top. We dey suffer de consequences of de death of de head of state, I believe. We, de civilians, be for no way insyd responsible give de death of our head of state.  De U.N. peacekeeping force send an escort of ten Belgian peacekeepers to ein home before 3 am de following morning; dem intend to take am to Radio Rwanda, from wey she plan to make a dawn broadcast appealing give national calm. Uwilingiyimana ein house be further guarded by five Ghanaian U.N. troops, wey dem station dem outside. For de house insyd, de Rwandan presidential guard protect de family, but between 6:55 den 7:15 am de presidential guard surround de U.N. troops den tell'em to lay down demma arms. Fatally, de blue berets ultimately comply, wey dem hand ova demma weapons just before 9 am.   

Seeing de stand-off outside ein home, Uwilingiyimana den ein family take refuge for de Kigali U.N. volunteer compound insyd around 8 am. Eyewitnesses to de inquiry for U.N. actions top say dat Rwandan soldiers enter de compound at 10 am den search am give Uwilingiyimana. Fearing give lives of ein kiddies, Uwilingiyimana den ein husband emerge. De presidential guard kill dem both for de morning of 7 April 1994 top; dem shoot Uwilingiyimana point-blank. Ein kiddies escape den eventually take refuge for Switzerland insyd. For ein book *Me Against My Brother* insyd, Scott Peterson write dat de U.N. troops dem send to protect Uwilingiyimana, dem castrate dem, gag plus demma own genitalia, den dem get murdered. Howeva, page 44 den 45 of de UNKIBAT-01 Tab 241 of de Prosecution Case File of de International Criminal Tribunal give Rwanda, state: "*Although the bodies show signs of fighting, some have rifle-butt or bayonet injuries, some show signs of having been struck by machetes or bullet wounds, there are no traces of sadistic mutilations*."

For ein book *Shake Hands with the Devil* insyd, U.N. commando Roméo Dallaire write dat Uwilingiyimana den ein husband surrender demma self to save demma kiddies, wey stay hidden for de adjoining housing compound insyd give employees of de United Nations Development Programme. De kiddies survive den Captain Mbaye Diagne pick dem up, Captain Mbaye Diagne be a UNAMIR military observer, wey smuggle dem for de Hôtel des Mille Collines insyd. Dem eventually resettle for Switzerland insyd.          

De International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) indict Major Bernard Ntuyahaga give de murder of Uwilingiyimana den de U.N. peacekeepers, but dem drop de charges. Dem eventually convict am of murder of de peacekeepers. For 18 December 2008 top, de ICTR found Colonel Théoneste Bagosora guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity den war crimes den dem sentence am to life imprisonment, for part insyd sekof ein involvement for de murders of Uwilingiyimana den de Belgian peacekeepers insyd.

## Ein legacy
Dem remember Uwilingiyimana as a pioneer for women ein rights den education insyd for Rwanda insyd, den ein efforts to reconcile ethnic differences for de country insyd. Though short, ein political career be precedent-setting as one of de few female political figures for Africa insyd. She be contemporaneous plus Sylvie Kinigi, Prime Minister of Burundi. As a memorial to de late Rwandan Prime Minister, de Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) establish *The Agathe Innovative Award Competition*. De award fund educational den income generating projects wey e aim at improving de prospects of African girls. One of FAWE ein founding members be Agathe Uwilingiyimana.     

Jean Kambanda, a Hutu hardliner succeed Uwilingiyimana as prime minister of de interim government.     

## References


#### Sources cited

* Hoogensen, Gunhild; Solheim, Bruce O. (2006). "Agathe Uwilingiyimana". *Women in Power – Women Leaders Since 1960*. Praeger Publishing. pp. 48–50. ISBN 0-275-98190-8.
* Herr, Alexis (2018). *[https://books.google.com/books?id=d4NTDwAAQBAJ Rwandan Genocide: The Essential Reference Guide]*. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-5561-0.
* Hill, Kevin A. (1996). . In Salokar, Rebecca Mae; Volcansek, Mary L. (eds.). *Women and the Law: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook*. Greenwood Press. pp. . ISBN 978-0-313-29410-5.
* Kayihura, Edouard; Zukus, Kerry (2014). *[https://books.google.com/books?id=iuaiAgAAQBAJ Inside the Hotel Rwanda: The Surprising True Story ... and Why It Matters Today]*. BenBella Books. ISBN 978-1-937856-73-1.
* Newton, Michael (2014). *[https://books.google.com/books?id=F4-dAwAAQBAJ ]*. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-61069-286-1.
* Off, Carol (2010). *[https://books.google.com/books?id=7PAPc8d_NOQC The Lion, the Fox and the Eagle]*. Random House of Canada. ISBN 978-0-307-37077-8.
* Skard, Torild (2015). "Agathe Uwilingiyimana". *[https://books.google.com/books?id=1N0aBwAAQBAJ Women of Power: Half a Century of Female Presidents and Prime Ministers Worldwide]*. Policy Press. pp. 291–292. ISBN 978-1-4473-1580-3.

## External links

* A complete biography from FAWE (dey contain nothing negative about Madame Uwilingiyimana.)
* Report of de independent inquiry for de actions of de United Nations insyd during de 1994 genocide for Rwanda insyd Archived 16 December 2019 at de Wayback Machine – wey e contain de complete findings of de inquiry about de morning of de assassination for de section "The crash of the Presidential plane; genocide begins" insyd. Although Lt Lotin, de blue beret commando, dem order am not to surrender ein weapons, ein orders sanso include de U.N. directive not to fire unless fired upon, den by de time ein commando tell am to negotiate (rada dan surrender) four of ein men dem already disarm dem.