Here's a small collection of major sites in Kigali related to the Rwandan Geocide. The geocide lasted for about 100 days and claimed over 800,000 victims in direct action, and many more during the displacement of refugees into neighbouring Zaire (DRC) and Tanzania.

Very brief summary:

The genocide was carried out by Interahamwe militia backed by the Rwandan government against the Tutsi and moderate Hutu. The violence broke out April 6, 1994 when President Juv�nal Habyarimana's plane was shot down while landing at the Kigali airport. The crash killed Habyarimana and the President of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira. This was preceeded by the recent cease-fire ending a civil war between Paul Kagame's RPF and the government RGF, the steady build up of ethnic tension that resulted from the racist attitude of the German and Belgian colonial governments who seperated the population into two groups, treating the Tutsi as superior to the Hutu due to their percieved European qualities; and an especially mitigating factor, the hate-propaganda of RTLM (Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines). The Rwandese Patriot Front (Tutsi) fought with the Rwandan Government Forces (Hutu) during the genocide in an effort to gain control of the country, which it did on Aug 21 1994.

UNAMIR (United Nations Assitance Mission for Rwanda) was established to implement the Arusha Accords, negociated to end the civil war between the RPF and RGF. UNAMIR peacekeepers and MILOBs (Military Observers) worked tirelessly to shelter as many civilians as possible (particularily in the Amahoro Stadium), dispite being outnumbered and ill-equipped. Most of the peacekeeping force was provided by Belgium, who quickly withdrew after the execution of 10 Belgian peacekeepers taken hostage at the start of the genocide on April 7, due to political backlash against the mission. During the genocide the mission was headed by Canadian LGen Romeo Dallaire.

Most of this info was compiled from Dallaire's book Shake Hands with the Devil, and I've tried to keep it as concise as possible while still provided detailed info. Some of the placemarks may be inaccurate, please notify me if you see something that needs correcting, or would like to contribute information.

Important

Does anyone know the location of RTLM's broadcast centre? I feel it is an important part of this event, however I couldn't find any detailed information on it's location. Information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Cheers.

*Update*Corrected Pres. Habyarimana's placemark and added approx. location of UNDP compound in Kigali, and info on the assasination of PM Agathe Uwilingiyimana.

you can also check this wiki link

RTLM's broadcast centre

I am sorry if this is of any disappointment, but you have made some mistake in identifying the location of Le Meridien.

The "Meridien" (Currently Novotel UMUBANO) is not exactly at the location you have specified; it is a couple of hundred meters to the north east of the point you have identified (in the same street which is called UMUGANDA road). The exact location is Latitude 1�56'45.62"S and Longitude 30� 5'31.02"E.

The location you have mistakenly identified as Hotel Meridien is infact the parking of one of the most famous office buildings in Kigali; the Rwanda Telecom Building. It is owned by Rwanda Telecommunications Company, and it has the premises of the mobile company MTN Rwandacell. There is also a very good chinese restaurant on the roof!

Hi, nice file, but with some errors...

The place you pointed out as Camp Kigali is the Intercontinental Hotel of Kigali. Destroyed during the genozid because many members of the goverment seeked shelter here. The execution point of the 10 soldiers is about 100 m to the south. There are still the bullet impacts in the wall - I have seen it...

I attached my "Kigali file" with some more information, if anybody is interested.

Anyway - nice file, seems like somebody is also caring about Rwanda...

Here is the file I promised...

hello, Photizo,
i read about the killing of those 10 belgians UNAMIR Soldiers as i been in the same REGEMENT at the time, not in there batallion who was the 2 BON CDO Based at Flawinne in Belgium, they have built a litle monument there for there fallen comrades. i was sure they where killed
in the Kigali Military Camp , and not shot but killed with machetes , they realy butchered them to dead. sadly enough ! there was a fhoto yestedayi
in a belgian paper , you see them lying on the ground in the morgue of kigali all wrapped up in bleu blankets, what a thing to do after 7 years to put these fhotos back into a paper , so sad for the familie.
greetings from Swakke

you know - in the end it's not important if they were stabbed, gunned down or killed with machetes. Perhaps you are right with the machete stuff but I passed by this place several times and saw the bullets in the wall. There was defenitly very heavy fighting there. And to confirm the place: If you have watch the documentary about general Dallaire 'shake hands with the devil' you may have seen the memorial. A round space with 10 colums. You can also find it if you look 35 m east of my placemark.
Greetings from Bavaria
chris

Good post, psylant, and so very important to keep the memory of these events alive. I am always interested in this part of the world.

Diane