Agathon Rwasa
Encyclopedia
Agathon Rwasa is a Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...

an politician and the leader of the National Liberation Forces (Forces pour la Liberation Nationale, FNL). He was a Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...

 militia leader during the Burundi Civil War
Burundi Civil War
The Burundi Civil War was an armed conflict lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of long standing ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi tribes in Burundi...

.

Rwasa was reported to be a Born-again Christian.

Burundi was ruled by the minority Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....

 UPRONA from independence in 1962 until the 1993 election which was won by the majority Hutu FRODEBU party. Three months later the new president was assassinated and UPRONA took power back in a military coup. Two groups - the CNDD-FDD and PALIPEHUTU-FNL started an armed rebellion against the military government which became the Burundi Civil War
Burundi Civil War
The Burundi Civil War was an armed conflict lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of long standing ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi tribes in Burundi...

.

In 2002, Agathon Rwasa seized control of most of the FNL from Cossan Kabura.

Agathon's FNL was linked to three of the worst incidents of the civil war:
  • The Titanic Express massacre
    Titanic Express massacre
    The Titanic Express massacre was an event which took place on 28 December 2000, in which 21 people were killed in an attack on a bus, the “Titanic Express”, close to the Burundi capital Bujumbura....

     in December 2000
  • The massacre of 152 Banyamulenge
    Banyamulenge
    The Banyamulenge is a term historically describing the ethnic Tutsi Rwandans concentrated on the High Plateau of South Kivu, in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , close to the Burundi-Congo-Rwanda border...

     Congolese
    Democratic Republic of the Congo
    The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

     refugees at Gatumba
    Gatumba
    The village of Gatumba lies on the western side of Burundi, near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The place is known for a massacre that took place at a refugee camp connected to the village.-Massacre:...

     in August 2004
  • The killing of Monsignor Michael Courtney, the Catholic Church's chief representative in Burundi


Following the Gatamba masscre, South African President Thabo Mbeki called on Rwasa to be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court and the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

 Regional Peace Initiative declared the FNL as a terrorist organisation. The Burundian government also issued an arrest warrant for Rwasa.

The FNL has also been accused of using hundreds of child soldiers, and for killing and maiming children.

The FNL also intervened in the Second Congo War
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...

.

In September 2006 the FNL signed a peace deal with the government.

In January 2007 it was alleged that Rwasa had demanded $12m to stop killing people.

In June 2010, Rwasa went into hiding, claiming he was facing arrest for allegedly destabilising the country following district elections. However, Burundi's attorney general stated that there is no warrant out for Rwasa.

External links

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