Understanding the Strategic Value of the Assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana

Authors

Jonathan R. Beloff, King's College LondonFollow

Author Biography

Jonathan R. Beloff, PhD, is a visiting research fellow at New York University and a former Postdoctoral Research Associate at King’s College London’s Department of War Studies. His research focuses on the regional politics and security of the African Great Lakes and East Africa. Since 2008, he has travelled to this region to work and consult with numerous Rwandan and international government officials. Within these periods of foreign residence, he developed unique methodological skills to engage and consult with a range of different foreign officials as well as Rwandan elites and policymakers to understand public policy formation.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.18.1.2289

Subject Area Keywords

Africa, Civil war and internal conflict, Small wars and insurgencies, Strategy, War studies

Abstract

This article examines the assassination of former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana through the utilization of strategic theory. The President's assassination on the night of April 6, 1994, ignited the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which killed up to a million Rwandan Tutsis and non-extremist Hutus within 100 days. While the assassins are still unknown, speculation exists of whether the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) or the former ruling akazu ordered the attack. It concludes that the akazu was the most likely actor behind Habyarimana's assassination, given that the structure of strategic incentives favored its position over the alternatives.

Acknowledgements

Funding Details: This work was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) under Project Reference: AH/W001217/1. Acknowledgements: I wish to thank M.L.R. Smith for his valuable feedback.

Recommended Citation

Beloff, Jonathan R.. "Understanding the Strategic Value of the Assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana." Journal of Strategic Security 18, no. 1 (2025) : 161-183.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.18.1.2289
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol18/iss1/9