RANU Changes Name to Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)

On 25 December 1987, the Rwandan Alliance for National Unity (RANU), a political organization primarily composed of Tutsi exiles in Uganda, changed its name to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). This rebranding marked a significant shift in the group’s focus and its objectives, setting the stage for its eventual military involvement in the political affairs of Rwanda.

Key Points:

1. Formation of RANU:
   • RANU was originally founded by Tutsi refugees who had fled Rwanda after the 1959 Hutu Revolution. These exiles, many of whom had sought refuge in neighboring Uganda, organized the group as a way to promote the return of Tutsi refugees to Rwanda and advocate for their rights.
   • Initially, RANU sought to work through political means, advocating for the rights of Tutsi in Rwanda and emphasizing national unity.
2. Shift to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF):
   • The name change to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) reflected a shift towards a militant approach. The group began to adopt a more aggressive stance in its pursuit of Tutsi return to Rwanda, especially given the worsening political climate and increasing repression of the Tutsi population in the country.
   • The name change symbolized a transition from a primarily political group into a military force capable of challenging the government of Juvénal Habyarimana.
3. Military Training and Recruitment:
   • Between 1987 and June 1990, more than 3,000 Rwandan recruits (mostly from the Tutsi community in Uganda) received military training in Uganda. This period of training marked the militarization of the RPF, setting up a fighting force that would later play a pivotal role in the Rwandan Civil War.
   • The training occurred under the auspices of the Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF), as many of the recruits were also citizens of Uganda who had been involved in the country’s politics and military affairs. The RPF’s growing military capacity was a significant factor in its ability to launch attacks inside Rwanda in the early 1990s.
4. Strategic Goals of the RPF:
   • The RPF’s primary aim was to overthrow the Habyarimana government and end the ethnic-based discrimination against the Tutsi. By changing its name, the group signified its readiness to take up arms in pursuit of these objectives, a move that would eventually culminate in the 1990 invasion of Rwanda.
   • The RPF’s leaders, including Paul Kagame, saw military action as a necessary step to bring about change, as they believed political negotiation and diplomacy had not yielded sufficient results.
5. Impact on Rwandan Politics:
   • The RPF’s name change and its military training were precursors to the Rwandan Civil War (1990-1994), which began with an RPF invasion from Uganda in October 1990. The invasion triggered a series of political and military events that eventually led to the genocide of 1994.
   • The RPF, despite facing resistance from the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) and the government, was able to maintain military pressure on the regime. The conflict created further ethnic divisions and significantly destabilized the country, eventually contributing to the mass killings of Tutsis and moderate Hutus during the genocide.
6. Post-Genocide Role:
   • After the genocide, the RPF emerged as the dominant political and military force in Rwanda. The group, led by Paul Kagame, eventually took control of the country in July 1994 and established a new government.

Summary:

The renaming of RANU to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) on 25 December 1987 signified the transformation of the group from a political movement into a militant force. The military training of over 3,000 recruits in Uganda during this period laid the groundwork for the RPF’s subsequent military interventions in Rwanda. These developments would eventually lead to the Rwandan Civil War and, tragically, the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, after the RPF’s decisive role in overthrowing the Habyarimana regime.