I put a review on the SWJ blog on this one.
"A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It"
Stephen Kinzer
If you want an opportunity to peer inside the mind of a brilliant practioner of small wars, this is your book. Kinzer uses extracts of Kagame's responses during 30 hours of interviews. They are fascinating.
Kagame Bio highlights:
Born in Rwanda 1957.
Driven out in 1960 during Tutsi massacres
1979 Joined Museveni's 40 man National Resistance Army with his friend Fred Rwigyema (who had already fought with Museveni against Idi Amin)
Same time frame co-founded the Rwandan Patriotic Front with Rwigyema
1986 Museveni takes control of Uganda. Rwigyema is his Army Chief of Staff; Kagame is his Director of Intelligence
1990 Kagame goes to Ft Leavenworth as a Major to cover Rwigyema's preparations to invade Rwanda with the RPF.
Oct 1990 RPF invades. Rwigyema killed in opening phase. Kagame leaves US and inflitrates Rwanda. Rebuilds RPA and in moths attacks to seize Ruhengeri
Forces acceptance of Arusha accords with old government in 1993
1994 Former President shot down on 6 April triggering genocide. War resumes.
July 1994 RPF wins war. Former milittary and hardliner Hutu government in exile. Kagame named Vice President, Defense Minister as the only Major General in the RPA.
Fall 1996 Kagame mounts operations in Zaire to clear the camps.
1997 Covert invasion of Zaire to overthow Mobutu succeeds
1998 2nd Invasion of Congo starts 2nd Congo War
1998 Kagame defeats the Hutu insurgency inside Rwanda
2000 Named President by RPF
Tom
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