Editing Rwanda (section)

== History ==
{{main|History of Rwanda|German East Africa|Ruanda-Urundi}}
Modern human settlement of what is now Rwanda dates from, at the latest, the [[last glacial period]], either in the [[Neolithic]] period around 8000 BC, or in the [[Neolithic Subpluvial|long humid period]] which followed, up to around 3000 BC.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=44}} Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of sparse settlement by [[hunter-gatherer]]s in the late [[Stone Age]], followed by a larger population of early [[Iron Age]] settlers, who produced dimpled [[pottery]] and iron tools.{{sfn|Dorsey|1994|p=36}}{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=45}} These early inhabitants were the ancestors of the [[Great Lakes Twa|Twa]], aboriginal [[Pygmy peoples|pygmy]] hunter-gatherers who remain in Rwanda today. Then by 3,000BC, [[Central Sudanic]] and [[Kuliak languages|Kuliak]] farmers and herders began settling into Rwanda, followed by [[South Cushitic languages|South Cushitic]] speaking herders in 2,000BC.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/183030|jstor = 183030|title = We Are What We Eat: Ancient Agriculture between the Great Lakes|last = Schoenbrun|first = David L.|journal = The Journal of African History|year = 1993|volume = 34|issue = 1|pages = 15–16|doi = 10.1017/S0021853700032989| s2cid=162660041 |url-access = subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qHf8DwAAQBAJ|title=Sacrifice as Terror: The Rwandan Genocide of 1994|pages=63–65 |isbn=978-1-000-18448-8 |last1=Taylor |first1=Christopher C. |date=13 September 2020 |publisher=Routledge }}</ref>{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=61}} The forest-dwelling Twa lost much of their habitat and moved to the mountain slopes.{{sfn|King|2007|p=75}} Between 800 BC and 1500 AD, a number of [[Bantu peoples|Bantu]] groups migrated into Rwanda, clearing forest land for agriculture.{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=61}}{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=58}} Historians have several theories regarding the nature of the Bantu migrations; one theory is that the first settlers were [[Hutu]], while the [[Tutsi]] migrated later to form a distinct racial group, possibly of Nilo-hamitic origin.{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=16}} An alternative theory is that the migration was slow and steady, with incoming groups integrating into rather than conquering the existing society.{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=61}}{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=58}} Under this theory, the Hutu and Tutsi distinction arose later and was a class distinction rather than a racial one.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=69}}{{sfn|Shyaka|pp=10–11}}

[[File:Rwanda Nyanza Mwami Palace.jpg|thumb|left|A reconstruction of the ancient King's Palace at [[Nyanza, Rwanda|Nyanza]]]]

The earliest form of social organisation in the area was the [[Clans of Rwanda|clan]] (''ubwoko'').{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=88}} The clans were not limited to genealogical lineages or geographical area, and most included Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|pp=88–89}} From the 15th century, the clans began to merge into kingdoms.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=141}} One kingdom, under King Gihanga, managed to incorporate several of its close neighbor territories establishing the [[Kingdom of Rwanda]]. By 1700, around eight kingdoms had existed in the present-day Rwanda.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=482}} One of these, the [[Kingdom of Rwanda]] ruled by the Tutsi [[Nyiginya]] clan, became increasingly dominant from the mid-eighteenth century.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=160}} The kingdom reached its greatest extent during the nineteenth century under the reign of King [[Kigeli IV Rwabugiri|Kigeli Rwabugiri]]. Rwabugiri conquered several smaller states, expanded the kingdom west and north,{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=160}}{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=69}} and initiated administrative reforms; these included {{lang|rw|[[ubuhake]]}}, in which Tutsi patrons ceded cattle, and therefore privileged status, to Hutu or Tutsi clients in exchange for economic and personal service,{{sfn|Prunier|1995|pp=13–14}} and {{lang|rw|uburetwa}}, a [[corvée]] system in which Hutu were forced to work for Tutsi chiefs.{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=69}} Rwabugiri's changes caused a rift to grow between the Hutu and Tutsi populations.{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=69}} The Twa were better off than in pre-Kingdom days, with some becoming dancers in the royal court,{{sfn|King|2007|p=75}} but their numbers continued to decline.{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=6}}

The [[Berlin Conference]] of 1884 assigned the territory to the [[German Empire]], who declared it to be part of [[German East Africa]]. In 1894, explorer [[Gustav Adolf von Götzen]] was the first European to cross the entire territory of Rwanda; he crossed from the south-east to Lake Kivu and met the king.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=217}}{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=9}} In 1897, Germany established a presence in Rwanda with the formation of an alliance with the king, beginning the colonial era.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lKFpAgAAQBAJ |last=Carney |first=J.J. |title=Rwanda Before the Genocide: Catholic Politics and Ethnic Discourse in the Late Colonial Era |page=24 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=9780199982288 |access-date=25 October 2022 |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701074114/https://books.google.com/books?id=lKFpAgAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Germans did not significantly alter the social structure of the country, but exerted influence by supporting the king and the existing hierarchy, and delegating power to local chiefs.{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=25}}<ref>See also Helmut Strizek, "Geschenkte Kolonien: Ruanda und Burundi unter deutscher Herrschaft", Berlin: Ch. Links Verlag, 2006</ref> [[Belgian colonial empire|Belgian]] forces invaded Rwanda and [[Burundi]] in 1916, during [[World War I]], and later, in 1922, they started to rule both Rwanda and Burundi as a [[League of Nations mandate]] called [[Ruanda-Urundi]] and started a period of more direct colonial rule.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=260}} The Belgians simplified and centralised the power structure,{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=270}} introduced large-scale projects in education, health, public works, and agricultural supervision, including new crops and improved agricultural techniques to try to reduce the incidence of famine.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|pp=276–277}} Both the Germans and the Belgians, in the wake of [[New Imperialism]], promoted Tutsi supremacy, considering the Hutu and Tutsi different [[Race (human categorization)|races]].{{sfn|Appiah|Gates|2010|p=450}} In 1935, Belgium introduced an identity card system, which labelled each individual as either Tutsi, Hutu, Twa or Naturalised. While it had been previously possible for particularly wealthy Hutu to become honorary Tutsi, the identity cards prevented any further movement between the classes.{{sfn|Gourevitch|2000|pp=56–57}}

[[File:Juvénal Habyarimana (1980).jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Juvénal Habyarimana]], president from 1973 to 1994|alt=Photograph of President Juvénal Habyarimana arriving with entourage at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, USA on 25 September 1980.]]

Belgium continued to rule [[Ruanda-Urundi]] (of which Rwanda formed the northern part) as a [[United Nations trust territories|UN trust territory]] after the [[Second World War]], with a mandate to oversee eventual [[Decolonisation of Africa|independence]].{{sfn|United Nations (II)}}{{sfn|United Nations (III)}} Tensions escalated between the Tutsi, who favoured early independence, and the Hutu emancipation movement, culminating in the 1959 [[Rwandan Revolution]]: Hutu activists began killing Tutsi and destroying their houses,{{sfn|Linden|Linden|1977|p=267}} forcing more than 100,000 people to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.{{sfn|Gourevitch|2000|pp=58–59}}{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=51}} In 1961, the suddenly pro-Hutu Belgians held [[1961 Rwandan monarchy referendum|a referendum]] in which the country voted to abolish the monarchy. Rwanda was separated from Burundi and gained independence on 1 July 1962,{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=53}} which is commemorated as Independence Day, a national holiday.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/independence-day-did-rwanda-really-gain-independence-july-1-1962 |title=Independence Day: Did Rwanda really gain independence on July 1, 1962? |last=Karuhanga |first=James |date=30 June 2018 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |access-date=1 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630010535/http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/independence-day-did-rwanda-really-gain-independence-july-1-1962 |archive-date=30 June 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cycles of violence followed, with exiled Tutsi attacking from neighbouring countries and the Hutu retaliating with large-scale slaughter and repression of the Tutsi.{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=56}} In 1973, [[Juvénal Habyarimana]] took power in [[1973 Rwandan coup d'état|a military coup]]. Pro-Hutu discrimination continued, but there was greater economic prosperity and a reduced amount of violence against the Tutsi.{{sfn|Prunier|1995|pp=74–76}} The Twa remained marginalised, and by 1990 were almost entirely forced out of the forests by the government; many became beggars.{{sfn|UNPO|2008|loc=History}} Rwanda's population had increased from 1.6&nbsp;million people in 1934 to 7.1&nbsp;million in 1989, leading to competition for land.{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=4}}

[[File:Nyamata Memorial Site 13.jpg|thumb|left|Human skulls at the [[Nyamata]] Genocide Memorial]]

In 1990, the [[Rwandan Patriotic Front]] (RPF), a rebel group composed of Tutsi refugees, invaded northern Rwanda from their base in Uganda, initiating the [[Rwandan Civil War]].{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=93}} The group condemned the Hutu-dominated government for failing to democratize and confront the problems facing these refugees. Neither side was able to gain a decisive advantage in the war,{{sfn|Prunier|1995|pp=135–136}} but by 1992 it had weakened Habyarimana's authority; mass demonstrations forced him into a coalition with the domestic opposition and eventually to sign the 1993 [[Arusha Accords (Rwanda)|Arusha Accords]] with the RPF.{{sfn|Prunier|1995|pp=190–191}} 
=== Rwandan genocide ===
{{main|Rwandan genocide|Hutu regime in Rwanda}}
The cease-fire ended on 6 April 1994 when [[Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira|Habyarimana's plane was shot down]] near Kigali Airport, killing him.{{sfn|BBC News (III)|2010}} The shooting down of the plane served as the catalyst for the [[Rwandan genocide]], which began within a few hours. Over the course of approximately 100 days, between 500,000 and 1,000,000{{sfn|Henley|2007}} Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu were killed in well-planned attacks on the orders of the interim government.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=386}} Many Twa were also killed, despite not being directly targeted.{{sfn|UNPO|2008|loc=History}}

The Tutsi RPF restarted their offensive, and took control of the country methodically, gaining control of the whole country by mid-July.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=299}} The international response to the genocide was limited, with major powers reluctant to strengthen the already overstretched [[United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda|UN peacekeeping force]].{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=364}} When the RPF took over, approximately two million Hutu [[Great Lakes refugee crisis|fled to neighbouring countries]], in particular [[Zaïre]], fearing reprisals;{{sfn|Prunier|1995|p=312}} additionally, the RPF-led army was a key belligerent in the [[First Congo War|First]] and [[Second Congo War]]s.{{sfn|BBC News (V)|2010}} Within Rwanda, a period of reconciliation and justice began, with the establishment of the [[International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda]] (ICTR) and the reintroduction of {{lang|rw|[[Gacaca]]}}, a traditional village court system.{{sfn|Bowcott|2014}} Since 2000 Rwanda's economy,{{sfn|World Bank (X)}} tourist numbers,{{sfn|World Bank (XI)}} and [[Human Development Index]] have grown rapidly;{{sfn|UNDP (I)|2010}} between 2006 and 2011 the poverty rate reduced from 57% to 45%,{{sfn|National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda|2012}} while [[life expectancy]] rose from 46.6 years in 2000{{sfn|UNDP (V)|2013|p=2}} to 65.4 years in 2021.{{sfn|CIA (I)}}

===Since 1994===
In 2009, Rwanda joined the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], although the country was never part of the [[British Empire]].

On 25 January 2025, Rwanda was broken off from diplomatic ties with its neighbor, the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], in support of the country's rebel groups, including the [[M23 Movement]].