On 1 October 1990, hundreds of Banyarawanda militants that served with
the Ugandan Army deserted their posts to form the Rwandan Patriotic
Front (RPF) and invade Rwanda. Thus began the Rwandan Civil War, which
was to culminate in the famous genocide of nearly one million of Tutsi
and moderate Hutus, in 1994.
Starting with in-depth descriptions of the history of Rwandan political,
military and security development, this volume traces the history of the
RPA from its emergence as a small-scale insurgent group formed from the
ranks of Rwandan refugee diaspora in Uganda; its military operations and
related experiences during nearly four years of war against the Rwandan
government; and its establishment of control over Kigali, in July 1994.
As such, the narrative presented here provides a fascinating and unique
insight into the military story behind the emergence of modern-day
Rwanda and its military; considered by many to be the 'Israel of
Africa'. Providing minute details about RPF's tactics and doctrine -
that strongly influenced developments in a number of other modern-day
African wars - this volume is foremost an offering that provides highly
interesting backgrounds for and a prequel to, nearly all of the
subsequent wars in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Illustrated with over 150 photographs, color profiles, and maps
describing the equipment, colors, and markings, and tactics of the RPF
and its opponents, this is a unique study about the emergence of one of
the most important US allies on the African continent.
