In the last piece of the serialised narrative, we observed that after the Kinihira attack of February 8, 1993, the RPA withdrew to its former positions on March 20, leaving a demilitarised zone (DMZ) between it and the positions of the Rwandan army (FAR). In Arusha, the parties to the peace negotiations decided to hasten the process of re-establishing the demilitarised zone in April 1993. As we proceed, the progress made towards the establishment of peace will be realised. The Habyarimana regime used political polarisation as a weapon to block the peace process. It did that by radicalising ethnic identities and mobilising the population using stereotypes that denounced the enemy of the “Hutu” people. Prime Minister Dismas Nsengiyaremye’s government got a three-month extension period after he reconciled with President Habyarimana. For the appointment of the Prime Minister of the transition, MRND, MDR, PSD and PL parties agreed that MDR should propose a candidate to submit to the Cabinet and if his candidature was approved, the candidate’s name would be sent to Arusha. The Cabinet meeting of June 22, 1993, examined Nsengiyaremye’s candidature for the office of prime minister of the transitional government. The meeting found that his candidature was unacceptable. Since then, a state of confusion among the Kigali politicians prevailed. Opposition parties suspected Nsengiyaremye of seeking to continue “dishonestly.” He had ignored the procedures and submitted his candidature to Arusha by-passing the government. The Cabinet accepted Faustin Twagiramungu’s candidature for the post of the Prime Minister of the transitional government and Agathe Uwilingiyimana as the Prime Minister who was supposed to organise the establishment of new institutions. Both of them, together with other MDR ministers who accepted to be part of the government, were expelled from this party by the Kabusunzu extraordinary congress. In spite of the reconciliation between Nsengiyaremye and Habyarimana, the latter opted for the Twagiramungu/Uwilingiyimana faction. Twagiramungu’s candidature for the post of Prime Minister in the transitional government was accepted in July 1993. This took place in the Kinihira negotiations facilitated by the Tanzanian foreign minister. Observers saw peace prospects on the horizon: “Prospects of peace are taking shape”. Before the diplomatic corps, President Habyarimana said that he was ready to sign the agreement. Two dates had been proposed, i.e. the 19th and 24th Jul 1993. The President and CDR party were opposed to some articles of the peace agreement, especially Article 11, which provided for the prosecution of the President of the Republic in case of violation of the fundamental law. The signing of the Arusha agreement took place on August 4, 1993, in the presence of the Presidents in the sub-region. CDR and MDR/ PARMEHUTU did not send representatives to Arusha. The signing of the Arusha agreement was warmly received by the displaced persons, civil society and the recognised political parties. The latter signed a political code of ethics, except for MRND, CDR and MDR–PARMEHUTU. These were opposed to it since the beginning of the negotiations. For many people, the Arusha agreement constituted a factor of national reconciliation and hope. An editorial of Radio Rwanda reported: “An unforgettable day, a day to say farewell to decayed ideas, a day of pride for the Rwandese who will henceforth live in unity and peace”. A Rwandan priest proposed to celebrate the memorable day annually as a grand event from then onwards as “an anniversary to be called a day marking the end of revenge”. The Prime Minister invited the population to celebrate that event, which put an end to the war and its problems. The national radio devoted a series of transmissions presenting the different protocols of the Arusha peace agreement. In the coming episodes, we will see what happened after the Arusha Accords.
