The Amahoro Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Gasabo district of Kigali, Rwanda. With a capacity of 30,000, it is the largest stadium in Rwanda and hosts football matches, concerts and public events. The football clubs Armée Patriotique Rwandaise F.C. and Rayon Sports F.C. are the tenants. The venue is also sometimes used for rugby union.
During the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, it was temporarily a “UN Protected Site” hosting to up to 12,000 mainly Tutsi refugees.
It’s back ground (history)
It was constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation at a cost of US$ 21 million. Construction began in March 1984 and was completed in January 1989.
In 1990, the Rwandan Civil War broke out between the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Tutsi rebel group and President Juvenal Habyrarimana’s government forces. The war ended in 1993 with a cease-fire and the signing of the Arusha Accords, which gave the RPF positions in a Broad-Based Transitional Government (BBTG) and the national army, and also provided for a United Nations peacekeeping force. This force was known as the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), and was headed by Canadian general Roméo Dallaire. UNAMIR’s initial headquarters was in the Hotel des Mille Collines, but the up-market hotel did not welcome the presence of soldiers and Dallaire quickly sought an alternative location; after some days of searching, UNAMIR chose the Amahoro Stadium, which was large enough to host an entire battalion of soldiers. The headquarters was opened on 17 November 1993, with an official ceremony attended by Dallaire and President Habyarimana.
The cease-fire ended abruptly on 6 April 1994 when Habyarimana’s plane was shot down and he was killed; the assassination sped up served the Rwandan Genocide which began within a few hours. The interim government began killing Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu, in well-planned attacks across the country. Tutsi civilians began seeking refuge in United Nations premises and thousands of refugees gathered inside the Amahoro Stadium.
Rwanda Cricket Stadium
In 2011, Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation was formed in August 2011 to build and manage and not for profit basis. It is the first dedicated international cricket ground in Rwanda and it is located 4.5 hectare site on the edge of Kigali (Rwanda’s capital).
The charity is run by a team of cricket enthusiasts from the UK Christopher Shale and Rwanda in partnership with the Marylebone Cricket Club Foundation. The ground is expected to be completed in March 2017.
The construction of Rwanda’s first dedicated cricket ground was to provide a permanent home for the sport, helping its development and increasing opportunity for thousands of disadvantaged young people.
In 2012, Brian Lara agreed to become one of the Patrons. The Stadium is also supported by British Prime Minister David Cameron, Andrew Mitchell, Jonathan Agnew, Heather Knight, Peter Gummer, Baron Chadlington.
Facilities
An international standard cricket ground (1 x Astroturf wicket; several grass wickets)
Pavilion (with restaurant, bar and conference facilities)
6 x cricket nets
Modest spectator seating
Car parking (c. 80 spaces)
Soft (green) landscaping
Stade Régional Nyamirambo
Nyamirambo Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Nyamirambo neighborhood of Kigali, Rwanda. It is currently used mostly for football matches. APR FC and Rayon Sports use the venue for most of their home games.
It has an artificial pitch surface.