Juvenal Habyarimana
1937 – 1994 Rwandan Army officer, President of Rwanda
Rwandan president whose plane was shot down, triggering the genocide.
- Religion
- Roman Catholic
- Affiliations
- MRND
Juvenal Habyarimana seized power in a 1973 coup and ruled Rwanda as a one-party state built around Hutu dominance. In April 1994 his plane was shot down over Kigali, killing him and igniting the genocide against the Tutsi within hours. Responsibility for downing the plane has never been conclusively established and is still disputed between Hutu extremists and the RPF.