Kigeli V of Rwanda

Kigeli V Ndahindurwa
Mwami of Rwanda
File:U.S. Army Captain James Văn Thạch & King Kigeli V of Rwanda.jpg U.S. Army Captain James Văn Thạch & King Kigeli V of Rwanda
Reign	25 July 1959 – 28 January 1961
Predecessor	Mutara III of Rwanda
Successor	Being a proprietary monarchy, His Majesty's choice of his successor will not be revealed until after his death.
Born	(1936-06-29) June 29, 1936
Kinyarwanda	Rudahigwa
House	Ndahindurwa
Father	Yuhi V of Rwanda
Mother	Mukashema
Religion	Christianity

Kigeli V Ndahindurwa (born June 29, 1936) was the ruling last King (Mwami) of Rwanda from 25 July 1959 until 28 January 1961. He was born in Kamembe, Rwanda. His Christian name is Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa. He currently resides in the United States.

Education

He received his education at the Groupe Scolaire Astrida (now Groupe Scolaire Officiel de Butare) in Rwanda, and at Nyangezi College in the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Appointment as King

Brass lapel pin Vive Kigeli V "Long Live Kigeli V" (37x12mm)

After King Mutara Rudahigwa died under mysterious circumstances in 1959, he was replaced on the throne by his younger brother Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa as King Kigeli V of Rwanda when he was only 23 years old.

Political instability and tribal conflict grew despite the efforts of King Kigeli Ndahindurwa. An increasingly restive Hutu population, encouraged by the Belgian military, sparked a revolt in November 1959. In 1961, King Kigeli V was in Kinshasa to meet with Secretary-General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld when Dominique Mbonyumutwa, with the support of the Belgian government, led a coup d'état that took control of the government. The coup resulted in the 1961 referendum about the fate of the monarchy. He initially fled into exile to Tanganyika, where he lived in Dar es Salaam, Kampala, Uganda, Nairobi and Washington, D.C., United States.

Exile and recent activities

In June 1992, he was granted political asylum by the United States and lives near Washington, D.C.. He has traveled internationally to speak on behalf of the Rwandan people and repeatedly called for peace and harmony between the different groups. King Kigeli V has continued to remember the victims of the Rwandan Genocide and makes every attempt to reconcile between all political, ethnic, and religious parties in Rwanda to use the democratic process to solve any disputes. Kigeli was a friend of former South African president Nelson Mandela.

King Kigeli V was invited by the Delta Phi Epsilon Alpha chapter at Georgetown University and gave a speech, "The Rwanda Genocide: The Most Preventable Tragedy of Our Time".

In an August 2007 BBC interview, Kigeli expressed an interest in returning to Rwanda if the Rwandan people are prepared to accept him as their constitutional monarch. He said that he had met President Paul Kagame and that Kagame had told him that he and his family were free to return, but Kigeli said that in order to do so, he needed to know if the people still wanted him to be king. According to Kigeli, Kagame said that he would consult the government about the issue.

King Kigeli V is a full "de jure" sovereign with all the rights, privileges, and full honors of this dignity. He has obeyed the international requirements to preserve these rights in perpetuity. There are four royal orders that forms Rwandas royal chivalric patrimony. They were listed in Burke's Peerage World Orders of Knighthood and Merit work in 2006.

Kigeli V has recently lived in the Oakton, Virginia area. Kigeli's orders include the "Royal Order of the Crested Crane", the "Royal Order of the Crown", and the "Royal Order of the Lion".

Charity

He currently heads the King Kigeli V Foundation, whose mission is to bring humanitarian initiatives on behalf of Rwandan refugees.

Awards and non-hereditary orders and titles

• King Kigeli V was awarded the Gold Star Award from by the International Strategic Studies Association for Outstanding Contributions to Strategic Progress Through Humanitarian Achievement for his work for Rwandan refugees in Africa.

Orders and decorations received by the King:

• Grand Cross, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)
• Grand Cross, Order of Saint Michael of the Wing (House of Braganza)
• Grand Cross, Order of the Queen of Sheba (Imperial House of Ethiopia)
• Grand Cross, Imperial Order of the Star of Honour of the Ethiopian Empire
• Grand Cross, Imperial Order of Solomon of the Ethiopian Empire
• Grand Collar, Royal Order of Ismail (Royal House of Egypt)
• Cross of São Tomé, Apostolo by Bishop Abilio Rodas De Souza (Catholic decoration, São Tomé)
• Knight, Most Prestigious Brotherhood of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Noble City of Lisbon (Portugal)
• Recipient of the Order of Saint Lazarus

Quotes

• "The genocide is a result of a loss of respect and culture," he said. "The young people do not respect or listen to their elders - If I am allowed to return, I will encourage intermarriage among the groups so that we can become one people again."
• "A king is like a father to the nation... All the tribes are like his children."
• "My people did not choose to end the monarchy in Rwanda, that was imposed on them by the (Belgians)."
• "To really die for your country you become a hero"; King Kigeli said through his interpreter; "He was most impressed by the King dream for peace and human rights and that is my dream for Rwanda."
• "I’m for everyone. I want every one to be a child of God. I want both sides to have peace."

Ancestry

Family of Kigeli V of Rwanda

16. Yuhi IV of Rwanda               8. Mutara II of Rwanda                       17. Nyiramavugo               4. Kigeli IV of Rwanda                             18. Mitari               9. Nyirakigeri                       2. Yuhi V of Rwanda                                   20. Gaga               10. Rwakagara                       5. Nyirayuhi                             1. Kigeli V of Rwanda                                         3. Mukashema

Kigeli V of Rwanda House of Ndahindurwa Born: 1936
Regnal titles
Preceded by Mutara III	King of Rwanda 25 July 1959 – 28 January 1961	Vacant Monarchy abolished
Titles in pretence
Loss of title Coup d'état	— TITULAR — King of Rwanda 28 January 1961 – present	Incumbent

External links

• Official Website
• Official Facebook Profile
• "A King with No Country", Washingtonian Magazine, April 2013
• Exiled king, U.N. leader to speak about Rwandan genocide
• THE "INGABO Z'UMWAMI" OR ARMY OF THE KING by Human Rights Watch
• Rwanda King Kigeli V speaks at CSUN
• King Kigeli visits Delta Phi Epsilon and gave a speech titled "The Rwanda Genocide The Most Preventable Tragedy of Our Time"
• Heraldry of the Rwandan Royal House of Abanyiginya