AFRICA/RWANDA - Kagame re-elected with 93% of the vote; attack in Kigali leaves 7 wounded

Thursday, 12 August 2010

Kigali (Agenzia Fides) – The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, was re-elected with 93% of the vote on August 9, the National Electoral Commission announced yesterday. The presidential term lasts seven years.
In the 2003 elections, Kagame won with 95% of the votes.
Immediately following the announcement of Kagame's victory, unidentified persons carried out an attack in the capital, Kigali. Around 7 pm, a hand grenade was rolled against the crowd waiting at the bus station in the city's downtown area. Seven people, including two children, were injured. The police said they arrested at least three people in connection with the attack.
In the months preceding the elections, several similar attacks had taken place in Kigali and other areas of the country. The authorities have charged several senior army officers, who have fled abroad, with being the perpetrators of these acts of violence. The interplay of differences within the military leadership of the country is still playing a role in the matter (see Fides 07/02/2010). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 08/12/2010)


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