On 1 October 1990 fifty RPF rebels deserted their Ugandan Army posts and crossed the border from Uganda into Rwanda , killing a Rwandan customs guard at the Kagitumba border post and forcing others to flee . They were followed by hundreds more rebels , dressed in the uniforms of the Ugandan national army and carrying stolen Ugandan weaponry , including machine guns , autocannons , mortars , and Soviet BM-21 multiple rocket launchers . According to RPF estimates , around 2,500 of the Ugandan Army 's 4,000 Rwandan soldiers took part in the invasion , accompanied by 800 civilians , including medical staff and messengers . Both President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President Habyarimana of Rwanda were in New York City attending the United Nations World Summit for Children . In the first few days of fighting , the RPF advanced south to Gabiro . Their Rwandan Armed Forces opponents , fighting for Habyarimana 's government , were numerically superior , with 5,200 soldiers , and possessed armoured cars and helicopters supplied by France , but the RPF benefited from the element of surprise . The Ugandan government set up roadblocks across the west of Uganda , to prevent further desertions and to block the rebels from returning to Uganda
World Summit for Children
World Summit for Children
Rwandan Civil War