The Rwandan Civil War was a conflict between the Hutu-led Rwandan Armed Forces and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), founded by Tutsi refugees. The war began on 1 October 1990 with an RPF invasion but the army, assisted by French troops, had largely defeated the RPF by the end of the month. Paul Kagame (pictured, left) took command of the rebels and in a few months began a multi-year guerrilla war. In 1992, after a series of protests, Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana (pictured, right) began peace negotiations with the RPF and domestic opposition parties. Despite disruption by the extremist group Hutu Power and a fresh RPF offensive, the Arusha Accords were signed in August 1993. United Nations peacekeepers were installed, but Hutu Power was steadily gaining influence. After the assassination of Habyarimana in April 1994, between half a million and a million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed in the Rwandan genocide. The RPF quickly resumed the war, capturing the capital and taking control of the country by July.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Civil_War

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1940:

The first section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, one of the United States' first long-distance limited-access highways, opened to traffic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Turnpike

1998:

Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, was formed with the ratification of the Europol Convention by all member states. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europol

2018:

The International Court of Justice ruled that Chile was under no obligation to restore Bolivia's access to the Pacific Ocean, which it had lost in the 19th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obligation_to_Negotiate_Access_to_the_Pacific_Ocean

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

witch doctor: A person who is believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magical powers; a shaman. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/witch_doctor

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I still have complete confidence that the United States, if given time, will resolve its problems. We have always been able to do that in the past, whenever we faced difficult questions. The United States still has that innate strength.   --Jimmy Carter https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter