- Agathe Habyarimana
Agathe Habyarimana (born Agathe Kanziga in 1942) is the widow of former
President of Rwanda Juvénal Habyarimana .Kanziga was the daughter of a
Hutu lineage that had ruled an independent principality until the late nineteenth century. cite book
title=The Fate of Africa
first=Martin|last=Meredith
publisher=PublicAffairs
location=New York
year=2005
isbn=1-58648-246-7]She was frequently regarded as one of the powers behind the throne during her husband's 20-year presidency, and her family connections to powerful
Hutu politicians are often regarded as having provided necessary political capital for Habyarimana. She was the centre of a powerful clique of northern Hutus called "le clan de Madame" or "akazu " (Kinyarwanda for "little house").On
April 9 1994 , immediately following Habyarimana's assassination and the beginning of theRwandan Genocide , she was airlifted out ofRwanda by French troops. In this exodus she was accompanied by thirty other members of the "akazu", includingFerdinand Nahimana , director ofRadio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines . Upon arrival inParis , she received a gift of ₣ 230 000 from the French government, from a budget allocated for "urgent assistance for Rwandan refugees".The book "
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families " suggests that the "Akazu" clique, which included both Agathe Habyarimana and the Rwanda's "de facto" ruler ColonelThéoneste Bagosora , was responsible both for the assassination of her husband and the organization of the genocide. cite book
title=We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families
first=Philip|last=Gourevitch
publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux
location=New York
year=1998
isbn=0-312-24335-9]Agathe Habyarimana is the sister of
Protais Zigiranyirazo , who was implicated in the genocide. She presently remains in exile in France. She was denied political asylum in France on4 January 2007 . [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6251425.stm|title=Rwanda seeks ex-first lady arrest|date=2007-01-11|accessdate=2008-02-08|publisher=BBC News] Nevertheless, she continues to live in a rich suburb ofColombes ,Hauts de Seine 92700.References
External links
* [http://www.afrik.com/article7171.html Kigali accuse Agathe Habyarimana de génocide] ,
1 April 2004 (French)
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