FBIS4-297 "drafr067_a_94010"
FBIS-AFR-94-067 Daily Report 7 Apr 1994
CENTRAL AFRICA Rwanda

Habyarimana, Ntaryamira Killed in Plane Crash

Habyarimana, Ntaryamira Killed in Plane Crash

Prime Minister Updates Situation

LD0704085394 Paris Radio France International in French 0630 GMT 7 Apr 94 LD0704085394 Paris Radio France International French BFN [Excerpts] First of all, the deaths of the Rwandan and Burundi presidents last night: Events seem to be accelerating in Rwanda in any case, with the burned-out wreckage that is the remains of the Rwandan president's plane, which crashed yesterday evening not far from Kigali airport. Eyewitness accounts report an explosion or even rocket fire hitting the aircraft, bemusement among those who heard the news, and--a few hours later--firing in the streets of Kigali. Let us listen to the account given by Rwandan Prime Minister Madame Agathe Uwilingiyimana, who was contacted by Monique Mas just a short while ago: [Begin Uwilingiyimana recording] There is shooting, people are being terrorized, people are inside their homes lying on the floor. We are suffering the consequences of the death of the head of state, I believe. We, the civilians, are in no way responsible for the death of our head of state. [end recording] So, there was shooting in the streets of Kigali this morning following a night that one might describe as rather surreal. Dominique de Courcelles reports: [Courcelles] Yes, in Kigali, after a fairly calm night, as you have just heard, shooting is now being heard in the town and is in particular directed at the residence of the prime minister, who is shut up in her home. From the moment the announcement of the accident was made by the radio station of the government party, the UN peacekeepers stepped up their patrols to attempt to prevent any trouble, and the Rwandan Government called on the people to remain calm and to stay at home. In neighboring Burundi, the national radio station and the authorities, including the speaker of the National Assembly, who has become the interim president, have called for calm. An emergency committee to follow the situation was immediately set up. So far this call for calm has been heeded. The circumstances surrounding the accident or the attack have not yet become clear, but one thing that is certain is that all the occupants of the plane are dead -- apart from the two presidents of the republics, this includes two Burundi ministers and the whole of the French crew. [passage omitted] The UN mission on the spot, the UNAMIR [UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda], has not so far formed any theories, but it reports a large explosion at about 2100 hours local time and firing on the ground at the airport. As for the Rwandan Army and Gendarmerie Staff Command, they have not issued any information during the night, but doubtless it is their weapons that are being heard at the moment. [passage omitted] The prime minister herself obviously sees a link between the shooting and the death of President Habyarimana -- very quickly she attempted to get in touch with the Army Staff Command, but in vain. The failure to respond appears to indicate that it is members of the military who are firing in the streets of Kigali, with the Army thus targeting this prime minister who is the symbol of a difficult period of transition between war with the FPR [Rwandan Patriotic Front] and peace accompanied by power-sharing, which was clearly repugnant to President Habyarimana. [passage omitted]