Welcome to Africanews

Please select your experience

Watch Live

News

news

Last king of Rwanda buried at home after years in exile

Rwanda

The last king of Rwanda, was laid to rest on Sunday. Kigeli V who died aged 80 in October in the United States after decades in exile, was buried in his ancestral home south of Rwanda.

The Kingdom of Rwanda was a pre-colonial kingdom in the East African country, where the former king had just served for two years before Rwanda gained independence from Belgium in 1962.

He fled after he was deposed in 1961, when the monarch was abolished.

He had tried to come back to his homeland while still alive but failed to reach an agreement with the country’s government. He had been living in the U.S. since 1992.

He insisted on returning as king, whereas president Paul Kagame would accept him only as a private citizen.

View more