Rwanda’s Last King, Kigeli V, Died At Age 80

T he last king of Rwanda, Kigeli V, who ruled the east African nation for less than a year before being forced into exile, finally settling in the United States, died  at the age of 80. Born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, King Kigeli V came to power in 1959 but was only king of Rwanda until 1961, when the monarchy was abolished and he was forced into exile. Rwanda's Last King, Kigeli V, Died At

Age 80iii. He eventually settled in the US where he set up a charity helping Rwandan refugees and orphans.A 2013 profile in Washingtonian magazine found him living off food stamps in subsidized housing.

iv. King Kigeli was the last in a line of monarchs from the minority Tutsi ethnic group, which had dominated Rwandan for many years, but the Belgian former colonial power favored the majority Hutus and backed a coup.

v. Rwanda was proclaimed a republic in 1961, and a Hutu, Dominique Mbonyumutwa, was made president.Tens of thousands of Tutsis were forced into exile including King Kigeli, who lived the rest of his life outside Rwanda.