François Rukeba
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François Rukeba (born 23 April 1912) was a Rwandan politician and rebel leader.


Early life

François Rukeba was born on 23 April 1912 in Murehe,
Ruanda-Urundi Ruanda-Urundi (), later Rwanda-Burundi, was a geopolitical entity, once part of German East Africa, that was occupied by troops from the Belgian Congo during the East African campaign in World War I and was administered by Belgium under milit ...
. He was considered ethnically
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 ...
by most Rwandans, though he was of mixed origins. According political scientist
René Lemarchand René Lemarchand (born 1932) is a French- American political scientist who is known for his research on ethnic conflict and genocide in Rwanda, Burundi and Darfur. Publishing in both English and French, he is particularly known for his work on t ...
, his father was Congolese while his mother was Hutukazi. According to Warren Weinstein, his maternal ancestry traced to the Shi people of the eastern
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
.


Political career

Rukeba was a close companion of the deposed
Mwami ''Mwami'' () is an honorific title common in parts of Central and East Africa. The title means ''chief'' or ''tribal chief'' in several Bantu languages. It was historically used by kings in several African nations, and is still used for traditi ...
(king) of Rwanda,
Yuhi V Musinga Yuhi Musinga (Yuhi V of Rwanda, 1883 – 13 January 1944) was a king (''List of kings of Rwanda, umwami'') of Kingdom of Rwanda, Rwanda who came to power in 1896 and collaborated with the German East Africa, German government to strengthen his o ...
. He was initially a subchief who presided over a jurisdiction near
Cyangugu Cyangugu (formerly Shangugu) is a city and capital of the Rusizi District in Western Province, Rwanda. The city lies at the southern end of Lake Kivu, and is contiguous with Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, but separated from it by the ...
, but was dismissed by the Belgian colonial administration in 1944 after they ruled that he had falsified court register entries. In 1947 the administration served him with a deportation order, and the following year appealed to the Visiting
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Mission, accusing the authorities of mistreating him. He grew anti-Belgian in outlook and became a staunch supporter of the monarchy. He eventually found work as a merchant. Throughout the 1950s, Rukeba petitioned the United Nations for reforms in Ruanda-Urundi. At the funeral of the late Mwami,
Mutara III Rudahigwa Mutara III Rudahigwa (March 1911 – 25 July 1959) was King (''List of kings of Rwanda, umwami'') of Kingdom of Rwanda, Rwanda between 1931 and 1959. He was the first Rwandan king to bring Catholic Church, Catholicism to the country, being ...
, on 28 July 1959 Rukeba led the crowd in demanding the naming of a successor to the throne. In August he cofounded the
Rwandese National Union The Rwandese National Union (, UNAR) was a conservative, pro-monarchy political party in Rwanda. History Founding and early activities Union Nationale Rwandaise (Rwandese National Union), or UNAR, was a conservative Rwandan political party. ...
(UNAR), a party which quickly became the political voice of Tutsi traditionalists, and was made its president. He founded the party's youth wing. UNAR organised a meeting in
Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), 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 is a relativ ...
on 13 September, and there Rukeba declared the party's programme and criticised Belgian colonialism. He also declared that, "He who does not belong to this party will be regarded as the people's enemy, the Mwami's enemy, Rwanda's enemy."


Life in exile

Rukeba went into exile in 1961, eventually settling in
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 ...
. The UNAR restorationists formed a government-in-exile shortly before Rwanda's independence, with Rukeba as Prime Minister. Internal disagreements led to a reforming of the government-in-exile in May 1963 with Michel Kayihura as Prime Minister and Rukeba retained as Minister of Defence. The exiled Mwami,
Kigeli V Ndahindurwa Kigeli V Ndahindurwa (born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa; 29 June 1936 – 16 October 2016) was the last ruling King (''Mwami'') of Rwanda, from 28 July 1959 until the end of the UN-mandate with Belgian administration and the declaration of an indep ...
, remained nominal head of state of this government, though in time Rukeba lost contact with him. On 3 October Rukeba was arrested by Burundian authorities for stealing weapons from Congolese rebels. He was released shortly thereafter due to parliamentary pressure placed upon the Burundian monarchy. He chose to support the Simba rebels in the eastern Congo in 1964, and regularly partook in their political meetings in
Uvira Uvira is a city strategically located in the South Kivu Province of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Covering approximately 16 square kilometers and with an estimated population of 726,000 as of 2024, it borders Baful ...
. Rukeba's son, Jean Kayitare, mobilized a battalion of Rwandan exiles to fight on the Simbas' behalf. In 1968 Rukeba was arrested on the orders of Burundian President
Michel Micombero Michel Micombero (26 August 194016 July 1983) was a Burundian military officer and politician who ruled the country as ''de facto'' military dictator for the decade between 1966 and 1976. He was the last Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Burundi ...
, after Micombero discovered he was Hutu. Upon being detained he told the authorities that he could place 700 armed men at their disposal in the event of a Hutu rebellion. He was released in 1969 and became a businessman. He was arrested again two years later during Micombero's purge of Tutsi-Banyaruguru and sentenced to death, though this was later reduced to a light sentence.


References


Works cited

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rukeba, Francois Rwandese National Union politicians Rwandan rebels 1912 births Year of death missing Hutu people Tribal chiefs