Aloisea Inyumba (28 December 1964 – 6 December 2012) was a Rwandan politician, who was the country's Minister for Gender and Family Promotion and as executive secretary of the

National Unity and Reconciliation Commission National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. While studying social work and social administration at

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

, she joined the

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, win ...

. The eulogy at her funeral was given by President

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebe ...

Early life

Aloisea Inyumba was born on 28 December 1964 in

, to Rwandan born parents. She was born in the aftermath of the 1959

Rwandan Revolution The Rwandan Revolution, also known as the Hutu Revolution, Social Revolution, or Wind of Destruction ( rw, muyaga), was a period of ethnic violence in Rwanda from 1959 to 1961 between the Hutu and the Tutsi, two of the three ethnic groups in ...

, which saw the creation of a republic dominated by the majority

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the pr ...

, and persecution of the minority

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic gr ...

. While her parents were still living in Rwanda, and before she was born, her father was killed in a massacre of Tutsi; her mother escaped with her five siblings and the family fled to the safety of Uganda. Inyumba lived her childhood in Uganda, completing her schooling there, and then proceeded to

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and ...

, to study for a degree in social work and social administration. In 1985, she had her first meeting with

, another Rwandan refugee who was at the time serving in the rebel army of

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...

. One year later, Museveni took control of the country and promoted Kagame and fellow Rwandan

Fred Rwigyema Fred Gisa Rwigyema (also sometimes spelled Rwigema; born Emmanuel Gisa; 10 April 1957 – 2 October 1990) was a Rwandan politician and military officer. He was the founder of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a political and military force f ...

to officers in the country's national army. Kagame and Rwigyema took these positions, but their ultimate goal was to return with force to their own country, in order to facilitate the return of the refugees. Kagame and Rwigyema joined and took over the

, a Rwandan liberation organisation, and Inyumba joined as well.

Political career

After the RPF military victory in July 1994, Inyumba was appointed into the newly formed transitional government. This government was headed by President

Pasteur Bizimungu Pasteur Bizimungu (born April 1950) is a Rwandan politician who served as the third President of Rwanda, holding office from 19 July 1994 until 23 March 2000. A Hutu, Bizimungu had previously held several positions under President Juvenal Habya ...

, but the country was ''de facto'' led by

. She was appointed to the post of

Minister of Gender and Family Promotion Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government ...

, and began a concerted programme to involve women in the rebuilding of Rwanda. In 2011, she was re-appointed to her previous role of Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, a role she held until her death in 2012.

Personal life and death

Inyumba was married to Dr

Richard Masozera Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

, who is the former Director-General of

Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA, rw, Ikigo cy'Igihugu gishinzwe iby'indege za gisiviri, french: Office Rwandais de l'Aviation Civile) is the civil aviation authority of Rwanda. Its headquarters are at Kigali International Airport in Kig ...

(RCAA). The pair began dating when they were both students at

in Kampala. They had two children, a girl and a boy. Inyumba died on 6 December 2012 at her home in

Kigali Kigali () is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwanda's economic, cu ...

. She had been suffering from throat cancer, and had recently returned home after seeking treatment in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. Inyumba was granted a state funeral at the

Parliament of Rwanda The Parliament of Rwanda ( French: ''Parlement du Rwanda''; Kinyarwanda: ''Inteko Ishinga Amategeko y’u Rwanda'') has consisted of two chambers since 2003: *The Senate (French: ''Sénat''; Kinyarwanda: ''Sena'') (Upper Chamber) *The Chamber ...

building in Kigali and her eulogy was delivered by the country's president,

. Kagame described her as a selfless leader who was "a very good cadre and ideologically clear". Other speakers at the funeral included Cabinet Affairs minister Protais Musoni and the vice-governor of the

National Bank of Rwanda The National Bank of Rwanda ( rw, Banki Nkuru Y'u Rwanda, french: Banque Nationale du Rwanda) is the central bank of Rwanda. The bank was founded in 1964. The current governor of the bank is John Rwangombwa. Location It is quartered at the Na ...

Monique Nsanzabaganwa Monique Nsanzabaganwa is a Rwandan economist, politician and diplomat, who has served as the vice-chairperson of the African Union Commission, effective 6 February 2021. Before that, between 2011 and 2021, she served as the deputy governor of th ...

References

Cited works

* *

External links