Travel Blog | About TravelBlog | World Facts | Travel Wallpaper | Travel Forum | Travel Insurance | Services | Cameras

Rwanda

Background: In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the former Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda, but about 10,000 that remain in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo have formed an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF tried in 1990. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003, respectively - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output, and ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived Tutsi political dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization and intolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu extremist insurgency across the border, and Rwandan involvement in two wars in recent years in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy.




Links: Rwanda Travel Blogs (all) | Rwanda Travel Photos | Rwanda Travel Forum | Rwanda Facts | Map of Rwanda

9 hours ago: smithlights published a blog
Kigali
July 8th 2009  Africa » Rwanda » Ville de Kigali » Kigali
Sarah and I were both excited to realize we slept in pretty well this morning, but then we realized we didn’t change our watches and got up the same time as normal. But it was a nice long sleep ... [full story]

You cannot tell people to forget who they are.
June 17th 2009  Africa » Rwanda » Province de L'Ouest » Gisenyi
Settled into my old room at Auberge la Caverne, sipping cappuccino at the Bourbon Coffee - Kigali, green and rolling, brushed by plump tufts of cumulus, receding like waves in the distance - I feel bu ... 4 photos [full story]

Gorilla Trek Photo
4 days ago: jennifc published a blog
Gorilla Trek Photo
June 27th 2009  Africa » Rwanda
Some pictures of the gorilla trek. We hiked up a beautiful, lush, green mountain in Rwanda to find the "Amhoro" (means 'peace') gorilla family. We were so close to them. They were absolutely amazi ... 1 photos [full story]

The green hills of Africa.
4 days ago: PostcardJunkie published a blog
The green hills of Africa.
June 14th 2009  Africa » Rwanda » Ville de Kigali » Kigali
Forty hours, seven time zones, and two dismal lay-overs after leaving New York, I arrive in Kigali at half-past three in the morning, a somnolent mess of rumpled clothes, dried-out contacts, and skin ... 3 photos [full story]

June 11th 2009  Africa » Rwanda » Province du Sud
Not having any expectations for this trip was probably a good thing! My Rwandan life so far has been full of surprises and challenges and it's only been a week. On Monday, June 5th, myself and anot ... [full story]

32 days ago: JohnMorley published a blog
Rwanda, Africa
March 19th 2009  Africa » Rwanda
We crossed into Rwanda from the border town of Kabale (where I had my hair butchered by a barber who had never cut a white man’s hair before). The border here was a little more tense than most o ... [full story]

Pictures :)
36 days ago: Marijke published a blog
Pictures :)
June 3rd 2009  Africa » Rwanda » Ville de Kigali » Kigali
We zijn weer 'thuis'! Het is gek maar het voelde vanochtend echt een beetje als thuiskomen toen we terugkwamen in Kigali. We slapen weer vertrouwd in het klooster van St. Pauls. Het aftellen is nu ... 9 photos [full story]

Een dagje reizen
39 days ago: Marijke published a blog
Een dagje reizen
May 31st 2009  Africa » Rwanda » Ville de Kigali » Kigali
28-5 Donderdag hadden we een ‘reisdag’. Wat inhield dat we van Gisenyi, aan de top van het Kivu lake, naar Cyengugu, aan de onderkant van het Kivu lake, zouden gaan. Het eerste stuk wa ... 8 photos [full story]

Mountain Gorilla’s
44 days ago: Marijke published a blog
Mountain Gorilla’s
May 26th 2009  Africa » Rwanda » Province du Nord » Parc National des Volcans
Wow, oog in oog met de mountain gorilla’s in Volcanous National Park. Wat een ervaring! Na wat wikken en wegen hebben we toch besloten dat het bezoeken van de gorilla’s een must do in R ... 8 photos [full story]

Afscheid van Kirinda
46 days ago: Marijke published a blog
Afscheid van Kirinda
May 24th 2009  Africa » Rwanda » Ville de Kigali » Kigali
Het werk zit erop! We hebben afscheid genomen van Kirinda en de mensen waar we de afgelopen 4 weken mee hebben opgetrokken. Het is bijzonder hoe je in zo'n korte tijd zo'n goede band met mensen op kan ... 11 photos [full story]


Rwanda Blog Entries

Gorilla trekking, Rwanda
Gorillas 13
Gorillas 12
Gorillas 11
Gorillas 10
Gorillas 8
Gorillas 9
Gorillas 7
Gorillas 6
Gorillas 5
Gorillas 3
Gorillas 4
Gorillas 1
Gorillas 2
The incredible gorilla
Sogum

Rwanda

Rwanda Location



Hostels in Rwanda
Latest Rwanda Blog Entries
Rwanda Photos


Blogging Rwanda




Rwanda Travel Forum
Working/Volunteering with an NGO in Kigali
Backpacking or Tour in Rwanda?
Ecotourism the only way to save wildlife in Rwanda



Areas in Rwanda: Province de L'Est (3) | Province de L'Ouest (16) | Province du Nord (30) | Province du Sud (18) | Ville de Kigali (107)


Free Travel Blog