Lando Ndasingwa
Encyclopedia
Landoald 'Lando' Ndasingwa (died 7 April 1994) was a Rwanda
n politician, leader of the moderate Parti libéral du Rwanda. He was killed in the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide
.
Ndasingwa was a former professor at the University of Rwanda and ethnic Tutsi
. He was granted the portfolio of Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Habyarimana
transitional government put in place after the Arusha Accords
.
On February 17, 1994, UNAMIR commander Roméo Dallaire
received information of a plot to assassinate Ndasingwa and Joseph Kavaruganda
, both prominent moderate members of the transitional government. In his book Shake Hands with the Devil
, Dallaire claims that he informed them of this plot, and neither were surprised.
On April 7, following Habyarimana's death, Ndasingwa and his Canadian
wife, Hélène, both graduates of Montréal's McGill University
, were abducted from their house along with their two children by the government's Presidential Guard, despite being under UNAMIR protection. All were subsequently killed.
One of his sisters, Louise Mushikiwabo
, became much later (December 2009) Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Paul Kagame
's government.
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
n politician, leader of the moderate Parti libéral du Rwanda. He was killed in the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
.
Ndasingwa was a former professor at the University of Rwanda and ethnic Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
. He was granted the portfolio of Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana was the third President of the Republic of Rwanda, the post he held longer than any other president to date, from 1973 until 1994. During his 20-year rule he favored his own ethnic group, the Hutus, and supported the Hutu majority in neighboring Burundi against the Tutsi...
transitional government put in place after the Arusha Accords
Arusha Accords
The Arusha Accords were a set of five accords signed in Arusha, Tanzania on August 4, 1993, by the government of Rwanda and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front , under mediation, to end a three-year Rwandan Civil War...
.
On February 17, 1994, UNAMIR commander Roméo Dallaire
Roméo Dallaire
Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
received information of a plot to assassinate Ndasingwa and Joseph Kavaruganda
Joseph Kavaruganda
Joseph Kavaruganda was a Rwandan judge, and president of Rwanda's Constitutional Court. He was killed at the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide....
, both prominent moderate members of the transitional government. In his book Shake Hands with the Devil
Shake Hands with the Devil (book)
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda is a book by Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire of the Canadian Forces, with help from Major Brent Beardsley...
, Dallaire claims that he informed them of this plot, and neither were surprised.
On April 7, following Habyarimana's death, Ndasingwa and his Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
wife, Hélène, both graduates of Montréal's McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, were abducted from their house along with their two children by the government's Presidential Guard, despite being under UNAMIR protection. All were subsequently killed.
One of his sisters, Louise Mushikiwabo
Louise Mushikiwabo
Louise Mushikiwabo is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda.Her brother, Lando Ndasingwa, was the only tutsi minister in the last Habyarimana government, but was killed in the beginning the 1994 genocide.- References :...
, became much later (December 2009) Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Rwanda. He rose to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front , whose victory over the incumbent government in July 1994 effectively ended the Rwandan genocide...
's government.