According to folklore, Tutsi cattle breeders began arriving in the area from the Horn of Africa about 500 years ago and gradually subjugated the Hutu inhabitants. The Tutsis established a monarchy headed by a mwami (king) and a feudal caste of nobles. The Tutsis reduced the Hutus to serfdom through a contract known as ubuhake, whereby the Hutu farmers obligated their services to the Tutsi lords in return for cattle and the use of pastures and arable land.

The first European to visit Rwanda was a German lieutenant, Count von Goetzen, in 1894. His party was followed by missionaries, notably the "White Fathers." In 1899, the court of mwami submitted to a German protectorate without resistance. Belgian troops from Zaire occupied Rwanda in 1916; after World War I, the League of Nations mandated Rwanda and its southern neighbor, Burundi, to Belgium as the Territory of Ruanda-Urundi. Following World War II, Ruanda-Urundi became a UN trust territory with Belgium as the administering authority.

Reforms instituted by the Belgians in the l950s encouraged the growth of democratic political institutions but ultimately were resisted by Tutsi traditionalists who saw in them a threat to Tutsi rule. An increasingly restive Hutu population sparked revolt in November 1959, resulting in the overthrow of the Tutsi monarchy. Two years later, the Party of the Hutu Emancipation Movement (PARMEHUTU) won an overwhelming victory in a UN-supervised referendum. During the 1959 revolt and its aftermath, more than 160,000 Tutsis fled to neighboring countries.

The PARMEHUTU government, formed as a result of the September 1961 election, was granted internal autonomy by Belgium on January 1, 1962. A June 1962 UN General Assembly resolution terminated the Belgian trusteeship and granted full independence to Rwanda (and Burundi) effective July 1, 1962.

Gregoire Kayibanda, leader of the PARMEHUTU Party, became Rwanda's first elected president, directing a government chosen from the membership of the directly elected unicameral National Assembly. Peaceful negotiation of international problems, social and economic elevation of the masses, and integrated development of Rwanda were the ideals of the Kayibanda regime. Relations with 43 countries, including the United States, were established in the first 10 years.

Despite the progress made, inefficiency and corruption began festering in government ministries in the mid-1960s. In 1968, disaffection in the National Assembly with the government led not to reform but to the purging of dissident elements from the party. The social and economic disruption that ensued culminated on July 5, 1973, when the military took power under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Juvenal Habyarimana, who dissolved the National Assembly and the PARMEHUTU Party and abolished all political activity.

In 1975, the president announced the formation of the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (MRND), whose goals are to promote peace and unity and national development. The movement is organized from the "hillside" to the national level and includes elected and appointed officials.

Under MRND aegis, Rwandans went to the polls in December 1978 and overwhelmingly endorsed a new constitution. In a related plebiscite, they confirmed President Habyarimana in his presidential duties. Progress toward the full resumption of civilian rule continued with the election of communal counselors in January 1980 and deputies to the newly created 64-member legislative body, the National Development Council (CND), in 1981. President Habyarimana was reelected in 1983, and the CND was increased to 70 members. New presidential (in which President Habyarimana was the sole candidate) and legislative elections were held in December 1988.

Current Political Conditions

Government policy is set by the president in consultation with the Council of Government, composed of 17 cabinet ministers. Laws are introduced by the president and submitted for approval to the CND. During its first year this parliamentary body passed 49 laws, including new tax laws, commercial regulations, and modifications to the criminal code. Although power remains in the presidency, the CND represents another step in the direction of democracy.

Characterized by political moderation and fiscal conservatism, the Habyarimana government has focused on development problems, especially food production, education, health care, housing, employment, and infrastructure. Ethnic harmony is the governments stated objective. Although informal quotas have relegated the Tutsis to a minor role in government, civil service, and the military, there have been few manifestations of ethnic unrest.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, February 1989.