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The Rwandan Coup

In 1973, Major-General Juvénal Habyarimana launched a military coup in Rwanda, overthrowing the government and assuming power. Habyarimana declared himself the country's leader and initiated a campaign to legitimize the...

Historical Events

6
  • Frederick Douglass
    🏛️ 1852 United States
    Abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivers his "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" speech at a meeting organized by the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York.
  • 🏴 1962 Algeria gains independence from France.  🇩🇿 Algeria
  • Juvénal Habyarimana
    🏛️ 1973 🇷🇼 Rwanda
    Major-General Juvénal Habyarimana leads a military coup d’état in Rwanda and names himself the country’s leader. 
  • 🏴 1975 Cape Verde attains independence from Portugal. 🇨🇻 Cape Verde
  • Arthur Ashe
    🎭 1975 United Kingdom
    Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title.
  • Frederick W.K. Akuffo
    🏛️ 1978 🇬🇭 Ghana
    Lieutenant General Frederick W.K. Akuffo leads a bloodless palace coup against Acheampong, taking over the SMC II and abandoning the UNIGOV proposal.
    The Era of Military Coups in Ghana

Famous Births

2
  • 🌟 1937 Asenath Bole Odaga, a renowned Kenyan writer and the first woman in East Africa to establish and run a publishing house, is born. 🇰🇪 Kenya
  • 🌟 1972 Matthew Birir, a Kenyan runner, is born. 🇰🇪 Kenya

Famous Deaths

3
  • Tom Mboya
    1930 – 1969 🇰🇪 Kenya
    Kenya’s political leader Tom Mboya is assassinated. 
  • Tom Mboya
    1930 – 1969 🇰🇪 Kenya
    Tom Mboya assassinated outside Chhani's Pharmacy on Government Road in Nairobi, triggering national unrest and deepening ethnic political divisions.
  • Tom Mboya
    1930 – 1969 🇰🇪 Kenya
    Kenya's political leader Tom Mboya is assassinated.

Your Daily Dose of African History

The Rwandan Coup

The Rwandan Coup

In 1973, Major-General Juvénal Habyarimana launched a military coup in Rwanda, overthrowing the government and assuming power. Habyarimana declared himself the country's leader and initiated a campaign to legitimize the coup as a "bloodless" transition. 
As part of this strategy, he executed 55 individuals who were perceived as threats and then paid off their families to maintain the narrative of a peaceful transition of power.
Among those targeted was President Grégoire Kayibanda, who had held a firm grip on power since Rwanda's independence in 1962. Kayibanda had amended the constitution to declare himself President for Life, sparking discontent among various factions within the country. 
In the aftermath of the coup, Kayibanda and his wife were taken to an undisclosed location, where they were subjected to a slow and deliberate process of starvation, ultimately resulting in their deaths.
These events marked a significant turning point in Rwandan history, as Habyarimana's rise to power set the stage for subsequent political and social dynamics that would ultimately culminate in the tragic Rwandan genocide in 1994.

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