Paul Kagame ( ; born 23 October 1957 ) is a Rwandan politician and former military leader . He is currently the President of Rwanda , having taken office in 2000 when his predecessor , Pasteur Bizimungu , resigned . Kagame previously commanded the rebel force that ended the 1994 Rwandan genocide . He was considered Rwanda 's '' de facto '' leader when he served as Vice President and Minister of Defence from 1994 to 2000 . He was re-elected in August 2017 with an official result of nearly 99 % in an election criticized for numerous irregularities . He has been described as the " most impressive " and " among the most repressive " African leaders
Rwandan genocide
Rwandan genocide
Paul Kagame