Agathon Rwasa (born 10 January 1964) is a

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

an politician and the leader of the

National Liberation Forces The National Forces of Liberation (, or FNL) is a political party and former rebel group in Burundi. An ethnic Hutu group, the party was previously known as the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People (''Parti pour la libération du peuple Hu ...

(''Forces pour la Libération Nationale'', FNL). He was a

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic group native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda where they form one of the principal ethnic groups alongside the Tutsi and the Great L ...

militia leader during the Burundi Civil War. Rwasa was reported to be a

born-again Christian To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

.Young lions of the African Century
, '' ANC'', 2004-08-20, accessed on 2007-07-07

Early life and education

Born to Hutu parents in 1964 in Ngozi (North), Rwasa is the seventh child in the family of 14 children. He attended primary and secondary education in his native province. At the age of 20, he was appointed head of the association of young intellectuals. After graduating from the University of Burundi, he was wanted by the government like most other Hutu intellectuals in the region. He was responsible for the Gatumba massacre that resulted in the killing of 166 members of the

Tutsi The Tutsi ( ), also called Watusi, Watutsi or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu languages, Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi ( ...

minority.

Political career

From a member of the political bureau, he quickly rose to become the leader of the

(FNL). After 20 years in the bush, he returned home in 2008. The FNL has also been accused of using hundreds of child soldiers, and for killing and maiming women, children and babies. In September 2006 the FNL signed a peace deal with the government. 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. In July 2015, he was elected as the deputy speaker of the

Parliament of Burundi The Parliament of Burundi (Kirundi: '' Abashingamateka'') consists of two chambers: *The Senate (Upper Chamber) *The National Assembly (Lower Chamber)"Constitutional and Parliamentary Information, Issues 193-194" Association of Secretaries Gener ...

. On March 18, 2024, the Burundian government took note of the decisions of the extraordinary congress organized by the ''National Congress for Freedom'', no longer recognizing Agathon Rwasa as the main leader of the party.

References

External links

News story on peace process
Living people 1964 births Burundian politicians Hutu people Burundian Christians People of the Burundian Civil War University of Burundi alumni People from Ngozi Province {{Burundi-politician-stub

Early life and education

Political career

See also

References

External links