Dominique Mbonyumutwa
Dominique Mbonyumutwa (January 1921 – 26 July 1986) was a Rwandan politician who served on an interim basis as the first President of Rwanda, from 1 January to 1960 to 26 October 1961, following the abolition of the Rwandan monarchy. He took over by overthrowing the monarchy under King Kigali V Ndahindurwa and declaring Rwanda a republic, resulting in the 1961 referendum.
Dominique Mbonyumutwa | |
|---|---|
| President of Rwanda | |
| In office 1 January 1960 – 26 October 1961 | |
| Succeeded by | Grégoire Kayibanda |
| Vice President of Rwanda | |
| In office 30 October 1961 – 30 October 1964 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1921 Gitarama, Rwanda[1] |
| Died | 26 July 1986 (aged 65) Brussels, Belgium[2] |
| Political party | MDR-Parmehutu |
| Spouse(s) | Sophie Mbonyumutwa |
| Profession | Teacher |
Mbonyumutwa was of Hutu ethnicity and was respected by the population both before and after his presidency. On 1 November 1959, while serving as a sous-chef (equivalent to a district mayor today), he was assaulted by a group of Tutsi youth in Byimana in Southern Province. This incident triggered the "social revolution" of November 1959,[3] which eventually brought down the monarchy while driving hundreds of thousands of Rwandan Tutsi into decades-long exile.
Mbonyumutwa was succeeded as president by Grégoire Kayibanda a few months before Rwanda's independence. After his presidency, he maintained a position in Rwandan politics by serving as the Vice President of Rwandan and holds an honorary position as Chancellor of National Orders in service of later president Juvenal Habyarimana.[4] He died in July 1986 in Belgium and was buried in Gitarama Stadium, the site where the Republic was proclaimed in 1961, as a recognition to the country. In 2010 his remains were exhumed and reburied in a public cemetery due to the plans to redevelop the stadium.
References
- ↑ Nkundabagenzi, F. (2010-06-01). Rwanda politique: Documents prיsentיs par F. Nkundabagenzi - Centre de recherche et d'information socio-politiques - Google Books. Retrieved 2012-01-10 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Keesing's record of world events - Google Books. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2012-01-10 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Guichaoua, André (2015). From War to Genocide: Criminal Politics in Rwanda, 1990–1994. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 7. ISBN 9780299298203.
- ↑ "Présidence de Dominique Mbonyumutwa". www.dominiquembonyumutwa.info. Retrieved 2016-01-19.