Assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira

"In less than three hours - a few minutes after one o'clock in the morning, I was abruptly awakened by a telephone call. It was the Minister of State for Defence, Hon. Abdulrahman Kinana calling. He told me that he had just been informed that the plane carrying President Habyarimana and President Ntayamira had crashed at Kigali and both Presidents were feared dead. I was shocked, dumbfounded and absolutely shattered by the news. For a minute or so I was hot. I eventually regained my composure and requested Minister Kinana to find out more information and let me know. A little later I called Foreign Minister Rwegasira who confirmed the news. The plane has been shot at either by canon or rocket. All in the plane - a French Falcon 100 (the same plane which had taken me to Bujumbura on October 28, 1993) had perished." - Dr. Salim, April 6, 1994