On 30 October 1992, a significant agreement was signed in Arusha, Tanzania, known as the Protocol of Understanding on Power Sharing. This agreement was a crucial part of the negotiations aimed at establishing a transitional government in Rwanda and was meant to pave the way for the end of the Rwandan Civil War and the genocidal violence that had been escalating in the country.
Key Points of the Protocol:
- Context:
- By 1992, the Rwandan Civil War had been ongoing for over two years, following the RPA (Rwandan Patriotic Army) invasion of Rwanda in 1990. The war was between the government forces, primarily the Forces Armées Rwandaises (FAR), and the RPA, which was composed mainly of Tutsi exiles.
- The Protocol of Understanding was part of the broader peace process facilitated by international actors, including the United Nations and regional governments, to try to end the conflict.
- The Signatories:
- The agreement was signed by representatives of the Rwandan government (dominated by the MRND and other Hutu-based political groups), the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front), and other opposition political parties.
- Key signatories included Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and RPF representatives, as well as leaders from other political groups involved in the negotiations.
- Power-Sharing Agreement:
- The Protocol of Understanding outlined the principles for a transitional government in which political power would be shared among different political factions, with the aim of achieving a more inclusive and representative government.
- It called for a broad-based government that would include both Hutu and Tutsi factions, as well as other political parties, with the intention of ensuring national reconciliation and ending ethnic-based divisions.
- Key Provisions:
- Formation of a transitional government: The agreement included provisions for the establishment of a transitional government that would oversee the country’s political processes until elections could be held.
- Power-sharing: Political power was to be shared more equally between the government and the opposition, including the RPF. This was meant to foster a more inclusive approach to governance and weaken the entrenched power of the Hutu-dominated government.
- Integration of forces: The agreement called for the integration of RPF forces into the national army, ensuring that both the RPF and government forces would play a role in Rwanda’s military.
- Challenges:
- Despite the progress of this agreement, there were numerous challenges to its implementation. Key issues included disagreements over the distribution of power, mistrust between the government and the opposition, and ongoing violence in the country.
- Many extremist factions within the government, including the MRND and CDR (Coalition for the Defence of the Republic), opposed the agreement and continued to advocate for a military solution to the conflict, rather than power-sharing.
- Hutu extremists, who felt threatened by the inclusion of the Tutsi-led RPF in the government, would eventually play a major role in planning and carrying out the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
- Significance:
- While the Protocol of Understanding on power-sharing was a significant step toward resolving the civil war, the implementation of the agreement faced numerous hurdles.
- The agreement was ultimately followed by further negotiations, including the signing of the Arusha Peace Accords on 4 August 1993, which formally ended the war and provided a framework for the transitional government. However, the peace process was derailed by the genocide in 1994, following the assassination of President Habyarimana.
Conclusion:
The 30 October 1992 signing of the Protocol of Understanding on Power Sharing represented a crucial moment in the peace process, aiming to create a broad-based transitional government and promote national reconciliation in Rwanda. While it laid the groundwork for a more inclusive political system, its effectiveness was ultimately undermined by ongoing violence, extremist opposition, and the tragic events that followed.