Belgium had assigned military officers as its top colonial administrators in the colony. From 1959 to 1962, Logiest served as special military resident, and High Representative (1962) of Rwanda.Index Lo- Ly: "Guy Logiest", Rulers.org, accessed 21 September 2010 In 1959 the Hutu majority overthrew the Tutsi monarchy in the Rwandan Revolution.
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Félix Logiest (born 28 June 1895, date of death unknown) was a Belgian gymnast who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. In 1920 he won the bronze medal as member of the Belgian gymnastics team in the Swedish system event.
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In November 1959, the Hutu began a series of riots and arson attacks on Tutsi homes, following false rumours of the death of a Hutu sub-chief in an assault by Tutsi activists. Violence quickly spread across the whole country, beginning the Rwandan Revolution. The King and Tutsi politicians launched a counter- attack in an attempt to seize power and ostracise the Hutu and Belgians, but were thwarted by Belgian Colonel Guy Logiest, who was brought in by the colonial Governor. Logiest re-established law and order and began a programme of overt promotion and protection of the Hutu elite.
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Guillaume Logiest was born in Ghent, Belgium to a French-speaking family. He was called Guy by his family and associates. He entered the military as a young man and made his career there. He was assigned to colonial Rwanda as the highest- ranking military officer.
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Guillaume "Guy" Logiest (1912–1991) was a Belgian military officer. He served in colonial Rwanda as Belgium's top-ranking colonial official, the special military resident from 1959–1962 and High Representative (1962). Under his guidance, the political framework was laid for democratic elections in 1962 and independence of the country on 1 July that year.
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It had controlled much of the country for centuries. Although in the minority, the Tutsi had been favored by the German and Belgian colonial administrations. During the years when Rwanda was developing institutions to gain independence from colonial rule, Logiest helped guide the creation of a political framework for administration. This included preparation for elections, with the expected result that the Hutu majority would take power.
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He replaced many Tutsi chiefs with Hutu and effectively forced King KigeliV into exile. Hutu army officer Juvénal Habyarimana (pictured) became President of Rwanda after a 1973 coup. Logiest and Hutu leader Grégoire Kayibanda declared the country an autonomous republic in 1961 and it became independent in 1962. More than 336,000 Tutsi left Rwanda by 1964 to escape the Hutu purges, mostly to the neighbouring countries of Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania and Zaire.
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Toward the end of Belgian rule, the government began to favor the Hutu, who were organizing for more influence. More significantly, the Belgian administration feared the rise of Communism and a Pan-African socialist regime led by Congo-Léopoldville's Patrice Lumumba. Then-Belgian High Resident Guy Logiest set up the first democratic elections in Rwanda to avoid more radical politics."Belgian residents", Rwanda, World Statesmen, accessed 15 Sep 2010 As the majority population, the Hutu elected their candidates to most positions in the new government.
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