|
|
|
Due to resource constraints, IRIN is not updating the country profile below.
Updated humanitarian country information can be found instead at the Rwanda country page on ReliefWeb [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc104?OpenForm&rc=1&cc=rwa].
|
|
|
 RWANDA
Humanitarian Country Profile |
|
Background
|
Last update: March 2007 |
Rwanda's history has been characterised by tension between the two main ethnic groups in the country, the majority Hutu and the dominant Tutsi, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths.
In 1959, with the support of Belgian priests and colonial authorities, the Hutus launched attacks on Tutsis, whom both the Church and the colonial authorities had previously supported as a governing group.
This event saw the Hutus take power at independence in 1962 from Belgium and hold on to it until July 1994.
Despite the shift in power, ethnic animosity led to the 1994 genocide, sparked off by the shooting-down of a plane carrying the then president Juvenal Habyarimana.
At least 937,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, representing 10 percent of the population, died in the 100-day genocide, according to Rwandan government figures.
The three-month genocide ended in July 1994 after a successful military campaign by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by current president Paul Kagame.
Consequently, Hutu ‘Interahamwe’ militias and members of the army responsible for the genocide, with hundreds of thousands of other Hutus, fled to neighbouring countries, in particular the Democratic Republic of Congo.
More than a decade later, Rwanda, the most densely populated country in Africa, is still affected by the genocide, with at least 60 percent of the population living below the poverty line.
Peace and security
Most of those Hutus who fled in 1994 have returned, although some have remained in the DRC, mainly in the eastern Kivu provinces.
The majority of the genocide suspects remain in jail although 60,000 have been released or had their penalties reduced after a 2003 provisional presidential decree to decongest prisons and foster reconciliation - a move that survivors of the genocide have opposed.
According to the government, those released exclude key masterminds of the genocide, who are being tried before the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania's administrative capital.
The tribunal, which began operations in 1995, has handed down 25 judgments involving 31 accused as of September 2006. Its cases are to be transferred to Rwandan courts when its mandate expires in 2008.
Moreover, Rwanda is also using the traditional gacaca community courts, meant to combine customary conflict resolution mechanisms with criminal justice, to expedite local judgments.
The gacaca process is expected to have settled the judgment of least 800,000 cases by the end of 2007.
Rwanda is currently peaceful and secure; the establishment of a national police force has helped to improve security.
IDPs/Refugees
Rwanda was one of the top 10 host countries for refugees by the end of 2005, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) due to insecurity in the Great Lakes region.
Moreover, at least 21,000 Rwandan refugees are hosted in 21 African countries, with most unwilling to repatriate for economic reasons and the probability of being tried in the gacaca courts.
Their willingness to return is also dependent on land access, economic viability, unity and reconciliation.
Meanwhile, at least 12,000 Congolese refugees in Rwanda are expected to be voluntarily repatriated in 2007, as are 700 Burundian refugees.
New tripartite agreements are expected to boost the voluntary repatriation of 5,000 Rwandan returnees in 2007.
Democracy and governance
Rwanda's government emerged after a transition period following the 1994 genocide. The country is led by President Paul Kagame, of the RPF party, following his election in the country's first multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in 2003 for a seven-year mandate. Kagame had earlier been elected president by members of parliament in 2000.
The elections followed the enacting of a new constitution in June 2003.
In a bid to foster reconciliation, five multi-ethnic provinces replaced the previous 12 as part of the government's decentralisation plan to weaken ethnic divisions.
Moreover, the government is implementing a decentralisation programme aimed at improving local and regional governance.
In addition, Rwanda's parliament is set to debate a draft law repealing the death penalty, which would remove the obstacle to the transfer of ICTR cases to Rwandan jurisdiction before the tribunal's mandate ends in 2008.
According to analysts, unity and reconciliation remain the principal means to achieving stability in Rwanda.
Media
The government keeps under surveillance, punishes, harasses and threatens all defiant voices due to the role played by ‘hate media’ in the 1994 genocide, according to the media rights organisation, Reporters Without Borders.
Most journalists practise self-censorship, fearing official reprisals.
The few critical publications, such as the privately owned weeklies Umuseso and Umuco, often suffer harassment, protracted trials, and outright seizures, with some journalists being forced to flee the country.
The human rights watchdog, Amnesty International (AI), expressed concerns over the intimidation, harassment and armed attack of journalists by assailants allegedly associated with the RPF ruling party.
According to AI, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all journalists are allowed to work independently and free from attacks and fear of harassment and human rights abuse.
Economy
Rwanda's gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 50 percent in 1994 following a near total collapse of the economy due to the genocide.
From 1994 to 1997, Rwanda experienced rapid economic growth (70 percent) due to a return to stability and post-conflict resumption of economic activity.
Rwanda's GDP growth of between 6 and 9 percent is mainly driven by agriculture (coffee and tea) and the construction industry.
Agriculture accounts for at least 41 percent of GDP, creating jobs for 90 percent of the population who rely on subsistence agriculture.
The contribution of the private sector to the economy remains limited, with Rwanda having only about 400 enterprises, of which at least half employ fewer than 50 people.
The country's achievement of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) completion point in 2005 has led to debt reduction, increasing development expenditure.
However, Rwanda still remains highly dependent on foreign aid, which has accounted for 60 percent of public expenditure on average in the past three years.
Population
The 1994 civil war reversed substantial gains made in the population and development programme. The total fertility rate is more than five lifetime births per woman.
The legacy of the genocide is evidenced by a large number of ‘missing’ Rwandans of certain age groups. Women also comprise at least 70 percent of the population, heading half of all Rwandan households.
At least a quarter of the country's inhabitants is aged 15 to 24.
Despite Rwanda's small land area, the country has one of the highest population densities in Africa, 337 people per square kilometer.
At least 90 percent of the population is rural with nearly two-thirds living below the poverty line.
The main languages spoken in Rwanda include Kinyarwanda, which is akin to Kirundi (spoken in Burundi), French, English and Swahili.
Most Rwandans belong to the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, with Christianity the dominant religion.
According to the UN Population Agency, UNFPA, it is important that population factors are integrated into national priorities and become part of the country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.
Development indicators
The 2006 Human Development Index (HDI), measuring human development in terms of living a long and healthy life, being educated and having a decent standard of living, ranked Rwanda 158 out of 177 countries with data, with a HDI value of 0.450.
The average GDP per capita is US$1,263.
The life expectancy at birth for Rwandans is low at 44.2 years with 45.5 percent of the population not expected to survive past the age of 40.
At least 26 percent of the population also lacks access to an improved water source.
Moreover, 27 percent of Rwandan children younger than five are underweight for their age.
About 65 percent of Rwandans over the age of 15 are literate; the adult illiteracy rate is 35.1 percent while the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio is 51.8 percent.
Education
The primary school enrolment ratio, as a regional average for 2004, stood at 91 percent, with 96 percent of boys enrolling compared with 85 percent of girls. At least 27 percent of children of primary school age are not in school.
The pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools is 62.
Despite high primary school enrolment, only 37 percent of children, both boys and girls, complete a full course of primary education, with the finishing rate in primary school declining to 46 percent by grade five.
This is responsible for the low transition rate to secondary school with only 30 percent enrolling for secondary education.
Moreover, only 3 percent of the population of tertiary-school age continues to university or college.
The elimination of school fees has increased primary-school enrolment and completion rates, with a programme being established in three provinces to assist children previously excluded from school.
Children
The numbers of orphaned children and the proportion of child-headed households as a result of the 1994 war are high, with at least 100,000 children in child-headed households, according to the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF.
Rwanda also has a high number of orphans, estimated at 810,000, in part due to the genocide and the ravages of HIV/AIDS. HIV-infected children have very little access to anti-retroviral treatment.
Malnutrition affects nearly a quarter of all children, and is responsible for 40 percent of deaths among children younger than five.
Meanwhile, the government has passed a national policy on orphans and vulnerable children, establishing a framework for protecting these children, which is being implemented throughout the country.
Health
The main causes of morbidity in Rwanda include malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infections and HIV/AIDS.
The child mortality rate for female children is 195 while that for male children is 211 per 1,000. The prevalence rate of chronic and acute malnutrition in children under five is 45 percent and 19 percent respectively.
Meanwhile, the infant mortality rate for children younger than one increased from 103 in 1990 to 118 in 2005.
The healthy life expectancy at birth is low at only 36.4 years for men and 40.2 for women. The density of physicians is low at 0.05 per 1,000 people.
Rwanda is prone to outbreaks of cerebrospinal meningitis, with the last outbreak reported in 2002 affecting at least 636 people and causing 83 deaths in eight out of the then 12 provinces in the country.
At least 26 percent of the population does not have access to improved water sources, according to UNDP.
The government is planning to spend nearly US$1 billion to increase rural access to safe water and sanitation over the next 15 years, according to UNICEF.
Rwanda's last Polio case was in 1999.
HIV/AIDS
At least 160,000 people in Rwanda are estimated to be living with HIV; 91,000 of whom are women, according to the Joint UN Programme on HIV (UNAIDS).
Among 15-49 year olds, women are 1.5 times more infected than men (men: 2.3 percent, women: 3.6 percent) while among 15-24 year olds, there is a five-fold difference in infection between men and women (men: 0.5 percent, women: 2.5 percent), according to a 2005 Demographic and Health Survey.
Rwanda's HIV prevalence rate for adults between the ages of 15 and 49 years is estimated at 3.1 percent, with an estimated 39 percent of HIV-infected women and men receiving anti-retroviral therapy.
Fewer than 10 percent of pregnant women are receiving treatment to reduce mother-to-child transmission.
Rwanda's national response to HIV is characterised by a multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary, decentralised and community-based approach, including government structures such as the National AIDS Control Commission and the Treatment and Research AIDS Centre.
Non-governmental structures are also involved as coordinating umbrella organisations representing people living with HIV, the youth, faith-based organisations, women, the private sector and the media.
According to UNAIDS, behaviour change remains a barrier to HIV control, with communication messages often regarded as contradictory by the youth. Thus, youth-friendly centres have been established in several districts in the country, helped by UN agencies, to encourage clearer communication.
Comprehensive knowledge among youth on prevention methods has increased from 22 percent in 2000 to 52 percent in 2005. However, condom use among males decreased from 55 percent to 41 percent over the same period.
According to the Joint UN AIDS Programme, UNAIDS, further effort needs to be made for predictable and sustainable financing of the national plan to facilitate universal access.
Food security
At least 10 to 12 percent of the population suffers from food insecurity every year, according to the UN World Food Programme.
In 2005, at least one million people faced food insecurity.
The food security situation is further complicated by population pressure, which has resulted in small and shrinking family plots and decreasing soil fertility due to over-cultivation.
There is also low use of agricultural inputs compounded by erratic rainfall leading to chronic and often acute food insecurity.
Many children, especially girls, are prevented from enrolling in schools due to chronic food insecurity, frequent droughts and chronic poverty.
Gender issues
Rwandan women were raped and murdered on a massive scale during the genocide, with men constituting most of the murder victims, according to the UN Development Fund for Women. (UNIFEM)
Consequently, there are a large number of women-headed households creating an important group of vulnerable people. Women also carry the burden of caring for the ill.
Moreover, most Rwandan women who were infected with HIV during the war are now dying in large numbers, leaving children motherless. At least 250,000 women are estimated to have been raped during the genocide, according to Human Rights Watch.
The maternal mortality ratio in Rwanda - estimated at 1,400 deaths per 100,000 live births - is one of the highest in the world, according to UNFPA.
At least one-fifth of Rwandan women are also victims of domestic violence perpetrated by their male partners.
However, space has been opened up for women to demand equality under the law, with women comprising almost 50 percent of parliamentarians in the lower house. This makes Rwanda the country with the highest female representation in parliament in the world as of March 2004.
This is attributable to a greater number of women having survived the genocide, shifting attitudes among women towards leadership and government efforts to recognise women's role in reconciliation efforts.
Despite this, the under-representation of women in the criminal and judicial sectors remains a barrier to justice for rape victims.
Human rights
Rwandan authorities continued to dominate the country’s political space in 2006, according to the 2006 Human Rights Watch report for Rwanda.
Some local elections were also marred by accusations of fraud or other unfair practices.
Despite the enjoyment of relative security by most of the population, hundreds of people are still illegally detained, with some being physically abused by police or members of the local defence forces, according to the report.
Moreover, some of the gacaca courts, meant to expedite the trials of genocide suspects, failed to observe procedural rules. The trials of former President Pasteur Bizimungu failed to meet international fair trial standards, while a priest was sentenced to 12 years in prison even though he attempted to stop the genocide.
The establishment of appeals courts has also lagged, limiting the possibility of recourse for those who felt wrongly judged. Among the estimated 700,000 persons accused, more than 47,000 hold local administrative posts and 45,000 are themselves gacaca judges.
The system also appears to deliver one-sided justice, with accusations of crimes committed by soldiers of the ruling RPF not making it to court.
In addition, as part of the ‘modernisation’ of Kigali, houses built without authorisation in the poor sectors of the city have been demolished, leaving people homeless.
Meanwhile, HRW in January called on Rwandan police and judicial authorities to ensure prompt and effective law enforcement to deal with recent killings of participants in the gacaca process, saying the killings of genocide survivors threatened the delivery of justice.
Humanitarian needs
Women remain vulnerable due to their role as the main providers of food, as care-givers and because of malnutrition and disease.
There is also rampant food insecurity due to population pressure spurred by returnees and the natural increase in births.
Other humanitarian issues include the need for the provision of anti-retroviral treatment for rape survivors and others living with HIV.
According to Amnesty International, seven out of 10 female genocide survivors were living with HIV in 2004.
The Rwandan government and the international community should provide medical care, testing for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and psychological counselling to these survivors of gender-based violence. |
|
|
| Rwanda in figures | · Population: 9 million
· Pop. growth rate: 2.8%
· GDP per capita: US$1,263
· Pop. below poverty line: 84% on less than $2/day
· Life expectancy: 44.2 years
· Infant mortality: 118:1000
· Access to med. services: N/A
· HIV prevalence: 3.1%
· Access to clean water: 74%
· Access to electricity: N/A
· Literacy rate for population over 15: 64.9%
· Doctors/people: 0.05:1,000
· Displaced people: N/A
· Refugees: 21,000
· Human Development Index: 0.450 (HDI 2006 Rank 158)
Sources: UNDP, UNESCO, UNAIDS, WHO, UNICEF |
| Basic facts | Capital: Kigali
Languages: Kinyarwanda, French, English, Swahili Ethnic Groups: Hutu, Tutsi, Batwa
Religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs
Geography: Mostly hilly terrain
Border countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Uganda.
Natural resources: gold, tin ore, hydropower, arable land
Agriculture products: coffee, tea, bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes, livestock
Sources: Ethnologue, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNAIDS, World Bank, UNDP, WFP, WHO, Amnesty International, UNESCO |
|