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 Interactive map of Amahoro Stadium | |
| Full name | Amahoro National Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Kigali |
| Owner | Government of Rwanda |
| Capacity | 45,508[1] |
| Surface | Hybrid Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1986 |
| Renovated | 2011–2016, 2022–2024 |
| Expanded | 2022–2024 |
| Construction cost | $165 million |
| Main contractors | China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation |
| Tenants | |
| Rwanda national football team (1986–present) | |
TheAmahoro Stadium (Kinyarwanda:Stade Amahoro;[2]French:Stade Amahoro;[3] Kinyarwanda for "Peace Stadium"), officially known asAmahoro National Stadium,[2] is amulti-purpose stadium in theGasabo district ofKigali,Rwanda. With a capacity of 45,508,[1] it is the largest stadium in Rwanda and hosts football matches, concerts, and public events. Amahoro stadium was given that name (home of the Amavubi Stars) due to it being the home ofRwanda's National Team Amavubi.
During theRwandan genocide in 1994, it was temporarily a "UN Protected Site" hosting to up to 12,000 mainlyTutsi refugees.
Amahoro stadium has witnessed various renovations, In August 2022, SUMMA, a Turkiye-based construction company, secured a deal worth $165 million to renovate Amahoro stadium with Petit stade indoor sports, the upgrade increased the capacity to 45,508 seats.
The stadium was constructed by theChina Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, at a cost ofUS$ 21 million.[4] Construction began in March 1984, and was completed in January 1989.[5]
In 1990, theRwandan Civil War broke out between theRwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Tutsi rebel group, and PresidentJuvenal Habyarimana's government forces.[6] The war ended in 1993 with a cease-fire and the signing of theArusha 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.[7][8] This force was known as theUnited Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), and was headed by Canadian generalRoméo Dallaire.[9] UNAMIR's initial headquarters was in theHotel des Mille Collines, but the upmarket hotel did not welcome the presence of soldiers, and Dallaire quickly sought an alternative location;[10] after some days of searching, UNAMIR chose the Amahoro Stadium, which was large enough to host an entire battalion of soldiers.[11] The headquarters was opened on 17 November 1993, with an official ceremony attended by Dallaire and President Habyarimana.[12]
The cease-fire ended abruptly on 6 April 1994 whenHabyarimana's plane was shot down and he was killed;[13] the assassination served as the catalyst for theRwandan Genocide, which began within a few hours. The interim government began killing Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu, in well-planned attacks across the country.[14] Tutsi civilians began seeking refuge in United Nations premises, and thousands of refugees gathered inside the Amahoro Stadium.[15]
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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1°57′18.1″S30°6′51.2″E / 1.955028°S 30.114222°E /-1.955028; 30.114222
