How to Pronounce Juvénal Habyarimana (French & Kinyarwanda)

Meaning and Context

Juvénal Habyarimana, a former army chief of staff, seized power in a bloodless military coup on July 5, 1973, establishing an authoritarian regime that would govern Rwanda for over two decades until his assassination on April 6, 1994. His presidency, often described as the Habyarimana regime or the Second Republic, was characterized by a policy of ethnic quota systems that institutionalized favoritism towards the Hutu majority while marginalizing the Tutsi minority, exacerbating long-standing ethnic tensions in Rwanda. Under his MRND party (Mouvement Révolutionnaire National pour le Développement), Habyarimana centralized power, suppressed political opposition, and maintained control through a network of patronage. His death, when the presidential plane was shot down over Kigali, served as the immediate catalyst for the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, a pivotal and tragic event in Central African history. The complex legacy of his rule, including his economic policies and the Arusha Accords peace process he reluctantly engaged in, remains central to understanding the root causes of the genocide and the nation's arduous path toward post-genocide reconciliation.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The standard and correct spelling in French and common English usage is Juvénal Habyarimana. Frequent errors and variations arise from diacritical marks, phonetic spellings, and transliterations from Kinyarwanda. Common misspellings include "Juvenal Habyarimana" (dropping the acute accent on the 'e'), "Habyarimana" (omitting the 'y'), and "Habyarimana". Some may incorrectly insert a space, as in "Habyarimana". In Kinyarwanda, his name is spelled Yuvénali Habyarimana, reflecting the language's phonetic system. Typographical errors like "Habyrimana" or "Habymanira" also occur. It is important to maintain the correct accent and sequence of letters for historical accuracy, especially in academic and encyclopedic contexts, to distinguish him clearly from other regional figures.

Example Sentences

The assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana when his Dassault Falcon 50 was struck by missiles remains one of the most investigated and contentious events in modern African history.

Historians argue that the Habyarimana regime's institutionalization of ethnic identity cards created a bureaucratic framework for later persecution.

In the years following the genocide, Rwanda's Gacaca courts often heard testimony that referenced the discriminatory policies entrenched during Habyarimana's rule.

The Akazu, an informal network of Hutu extremists closely associated with Habyarimana's inner circle, is believed to have played a key role in planning the violence that followed his death.

Scholarly analysis of the Arusha Accords often focuses on Habyarimana's hesitancy to implement them fully, which increased political instability.

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