# Gitarama Province
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{{Short description|Former province of Rwanda}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2023}}
thumb|right|Map showing the former Gitarama Province in Rwanda
'''Gitarama''' was one of the former twelve [provinces](/source/provinces_of_Rwanda) (''intara'') of [Rwanda](/source/Rwanda) and was situated in the centre of the country, to the west of the capital [Kigali](/source/Kigali). Gitarama Prefecture was created in 1959, increasing the number of prefectures of Rwanda from eight to nine. In 2002, it was renamed a province, as were the other prefectures of Rwanda.[{{Cite web | title =Provinces of Rwanda | work =Statoids | publisher =Gwillim Law | date =27 April 2010 | url =http://www.statoids.com/urw.html | accessdate =17 May 2011 }}] It had an area of 2,187 square kilometres and a population of some 851,451 (2002 figures) prior to its dissolution in January 2006. Gitarama was divided into 8 districts: [Muhanga](/source/Muhanga), [Kayumbu](/source/Kayumbu), [Kabagali](/source/Kabagali), [Ntenyo](/source/Ntenyo), [Kamonyi](/source/Kamonyi), [Ntongwe](/source/Ntongwe), [Ndiza](/source/Ndiza) and [Ruyumba](/source/Ruyumba); and two towns: [Ruhango](/source/Ruhango) and [Gitarama](/source/Gitarama_(town)). Gitarama bordered the provinces [Butare](/source/Butare_Province), [Gikongoro](/source/Gikongoro_Province), [Kibuye](/source/Kibuye_Province), [Gisenyi](/source/Gisenyi_Province), [Ruhengeri](/source/Ruhengeri_Province), [Kigali-Ngali](/source/Kigali-Rural_Province) and [Kigali City](/source/Kigali_Province) Tourist attractions included the [Kamegeri](/source/Kamegeri) rocks and the [Busaga forest](/source/Busaga_forest).
== Rwandan genocide ==
{{main|Rwandan genocide}}
On 16 April, leaders of the [Rwandan genocide](/source/Rwandan_genocide) began to move against their local opposition. Up to this point, key military officers, {{lang|fr|bourgmestres}} and prefects had opposed the outbreak of genocidal violence; some were killed, while others eventually yielded under political pressure and threats of violence. On 16 April several key figures were taken down including [Marcel Gatsinzi](/source/Marcel_Gatsinzi), Army Chief of Staff of the [Rwandan Armed Forces](/source/Rwandan_Armed_Forces) (FAR). Gatzini was promoted to general, along with [Léonidas Rusatira](/source/L%C3%A9onidas_Rusatira), while [Augustin Bizimungu](/source/Augustin_Bizimungu) took over as Army Chief of Staff; but not all opposition leaders lost their positions on 16 April.[{{Cite web| title = Extending the Genocide (HRW Report - Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda, March 1999)| accessdate = 2018-11-29| url = https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/rwanda/Geno4-7-04.htm}}]
The prefect of Gitarama, Fidele Uwizeye, was one of those who managed to hold on to his position. According to a 1999 [Human Rights Watch](/source/Human_Rights_Watch) (HRW) report, when the genocide began, many members of the [Republican Democratic Movement](/source/Republican_Democratic_Movement) ({{lang|fr|Mouvement démocratique républicain}}, MDR) had initially refused to participate. They saw the genocide as a power grab by rival political factions [National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development](/source/National_Republican_Movement_for_Democracy_and_Development) ({{lang|fr|Mouvement républicain national pour la démocratie et le développement}}, MRND) and [Coalition for the Defence of the Republic](/source/Coalition_for_the_Defence_of_the_Republic) ({{lang|fr|Coalition pour la Défense de la République}}, CDR). Because the MDR refused to join the genocide, the MRND and CDR forces crossed the prefectural boundary of Gitarama as the violence spread outward from [Kigali](/source/Kigali). [Joseph Setiba](/source/Joseph_Setiba) led the [Interahamwe](/source/Interahamwe) militia, in attacks against the [Taba commune](/source/Taba_commune) and [Runda](/source/Kamonyi_District). As militia members from the provinces of [Kibuye](/source/Kibuye%2C_Rwanda), [Gisenyi](/source/Gisenyi), and [Ruhengeri](/source/Ruhengeri) also began to enter Gitarama, the people of the province attempted to repel them by force. Both [Hutu](/source/Hutu)s and [Tutsi](/source/Tutsi)s, under Uwizeye's leadership, participated in the defense of Gitarama. The ranks of the militia continued to swell as the interim government relocated moved its base of operations from Kigali to Gitarama.