The Amahoro Stadium (; ; Kinyarwanda for "Peace Stadium"), officially known as Amahoro National Stadium, is a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

in the

Gasabo Gasabo is a Districts of Rwanda, district (''akarere'') of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The headquarters of Gasabo are located in the Remera Sector. The district includes neighborhoods such as: Kacyiru, Kimironko, Remera, Nyarutarama and Kimihur ...

district of

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 ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

. With a capacity of 45,508, it is the largest stadium in Rwanda and hosts football matches, concerts, and public events. Amahoro stadium was given that name (home of the Amavubi Stars) due to it being the home of Rwanda's National Team Amavubi. During the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

in 1994, it was temporarily a "UN Protected Site" hosting to up to 12,000 mainly

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 ( ...

refugees. Amahoro stadium has witnessed various renovations, In August 2022, SUMMA, a Turkiye-based construction company, secured a deal worth $165 million to renovate Amahoro stadium with Petit stade indoor sports, the upgrade increased the capacity to 45,508 seats.

History

INTERNAL SETTINGS OF AMAHORO STADIUM IN RWANDA

The stadium was constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, at a cost of

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

21 million. Construction began in March 1984, and was completed in January 1989. In 1990, the

Rwandan Civil War The Rwandan Civil War was a large-scale civil war in Rwanda which was fought between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the country's government, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) from 1October 1990 to 18 July 1994. The war arose ...

broke out between the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Tutsi rebel group, and President Juvenal Habyarimana's government forces. The war ended in 1993 with a cease-fire and the signing of the Arusha Accords, which gave the RPF positions in a Broad-Based Transitional Government (BBTG) and the national army, and also provided for a United Nations peacekeeping force. This force was known as the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), and was headed by Canadian general

Roméo Dallaire Roméo Antonius Dallaire (born June 25, 1946) is a retired Canadian politician and military officer who was a senator from Quebec from 2005 to 2014, and a lieutenant-general in the Canadian Armed Forces. He notably was the force commander of U ...

. UNAMIR's initial headquarters was in the Hotel des Mille Collines, but the upmarket hotel did not welcome the presence of soldiers, and Dallaire quickly sought an alternative location; after some days of searching, UNAMIR chose the Amahoro Stadium, which was large enough to host an entire battalion of soldiers. The headquarters was opened on 17 November 1993, with an official ceremony attended by Dallaire and President Habyarimana. The cease-fire ended abruptly on 6 April 1994 when Habyarimana's plane was shot down and he was killed; the assassination served as the catalyst for the

Rwandan Genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

, which began within a few hours. The interim government began killing Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu, in well-planned attacks across the country. Tutsi civilians began seeking refuge in United Nations premises, and thousands of refugees gathered inside the Amahoro Stadium.

References

Cited works

* * * {{Coord, 1, 57, 18.1, S, 30, 6, 51.2, E, type:landmark, display=title Amahoro Amahoro Multi-purpose stadiums in Rwanda Sports venues in Kigali