Paul Kagame

===Rwandan Civil War===
{{Further|Rwandan Civil War}}
[[File:RwandaVolcanoAndLake cropped2.jpg|thumb|The [[Virunga Mountains]], Kagame's RPF base from 1990 to 1991|alt=Photograph of a lake with one of the Virunga Mountains behind, partially in cloud]]
In October 1990, Rwigyema led a force of over 4,000{{sfn|Melvern|2006|p=14}} RPF rebels into Rwanda at the [[Kagitumba]] border post, advancing {{convert|60|km|abbr=on}} south to the town of Gabiro.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|pp=94–95}} Kagame was not present at the initial raids, as he was in the United States, attending the [[United States Army Command and General Staff College|Command and General Staff College]] in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. On the second day of the attack, Rwigyema was shot in the head and killed.{{sfn|Caplan|2018|p=153}} The exact circumstances are disputed; the official line of Kagame's government,{{sfn|Government of Rwanda|2009}} and the version mentioned by historian [[Gérard Prunier]] in his 1995 book on the subject, was that Rwigyema was killed by a stray bullet.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|pp=95–96}} 

In his 2009 book ''Africa's World War'', Prunier says Rwigyema was killed by his subcommander Peter Bayingana, following an argument over tactics. According to this account, Bayingana and fellow subcommander Chris Bunyenyezi were then executed on the orders of Museveni.{{sfn|Prunier|2009|pp=13–14}} In a 2005 conversation with Caplan, Prunier provided a different account, stating that Bayingana and Bunyenyezi's killers were recruited by Kagame. Caplan notes that lack of research means the truth of this is uncertain, but that if true, the "tales of death and intrigue [offer] yet another insight into Kagame's character".{{sfn|Caplan|2018|p=153}} Rwigyema's death threw the RPF into confusion. France and Zaire deployed forces in support of the Rwandan army, and by the end of October, the RPF had been pushed back into the far north east corner of the country.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|p=96}}

Kagame returned to Africa and took command of the RPF forces, which had been reduced to fewer than 2,000 troops.{{sfn|Melvern|2000|pp=27–30}} Kagame and his soldiers moved west, through Uganda, to the [[Virunga Mountains]], a rugged high-altitude area where the terrain worked in their favour.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|pp=114–115}} From there, he re-armed and reorganised the army, and carried out fundraising and recruitment from the Tutsi diaspora.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|pp=117–118}} Kagame restarted combat in January 1991, with an attack on the northern town of [[Ruhengeri]]. Benefiting from the element of surprise, the RPF captured the town and held it for a day before retreating back into the forests.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|p=120}}

For the next year, the RPF waged a hit-and-run [[guerrilla war]], capturing some border areas but not making significant gains against the Rwandan army. These actions caused an exodus of around 300,000 Hutu from the affected areas.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|p=135}} Prunier wrote in 1995 that the RPF were surprised that Hutu peasants "showed no enthusiasm for being 'liberated' by them".{{sfn|Prunier|1999|p=136}} In her 2018 book ''[[In Praise of Blood]]'', however, Canadian journalist [[Judi Rever]] quoted witnesses who said that the exodus was forced by RPF attacks on the villages including the laying of landmines and shooting of children. Caplan's paper questions the credibility of many of the witnesses Rever had spoken to, but noted that "there are considerable other sources besides Rever that attest to RPF war crimes".{{sfn|Caplan|2018|pp=178–180}} 

Following the June 1992 formation of a multi-party coalition government in Kigali, Kagame announced a ceasefire and initiated negotiations with the Rwandan government in [[Arusha]], [[Tanzania]].{{sfn|Prunier|1999|p=150}} In early-1993, groups of extremist Hutu formed and began campaigns of large-scale violence against the Tutsi.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|pp=173–174}} Kagame responded by suspending peace talks temporarily and launching a major attack, gaining a large swathe of land across the north of the country.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|pp=174–177}}

Peace negotiations resumed in Arusha, and the resulting set of agreements, known as the [[Arusha Accords (Rwanda)|Arusha Accords]], were signed in August 1993. The RPF were given positions in a broad-based transitional government (BBTG) and in the national army.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|pp=187, 190–191}} The [[United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda]] (UNAMIR), a peacekeeping force, arrived and the RPF were given a base in the [[Parliament of Rwanda|national parliament]] building in Kigali to use during the establishment of the BBTG.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|pp=126–131}}