Rwanda: the insurgency in the Northwest

Abstract

Rwanda's northwest region of Ruhengeri and Gisenyi has become the theatre for sustained clashes between insurgents, organised and led by the former army, and the Rwandese Patriotic Army (RPA). Based on interviews with former military and civilian insurgents, survivors of the violence, residents of the northwest, local government officials and RPA soldiers, this book documents a cross-section of incidents and examines the aspects of the violence. It discusses the aims, strategies and identities of the insurgents, the network of internal and external allies which they have established, their source of arms and social and economic impact of the insurgency. Linked to conflicts in neighbouring countries, it is also a source of profound regional instability. (DÜI-Hff)