1997 in Rwanda

January to April

• January–August - At least 6,000 people, most of whom civilians and returnees from the Great Lakes refugee crisis, are reported to have been killed by militants across the country.
• 19 January - In northwest Rwanda, Hutu militia members kill 6 Spanish aid workers, 3 soldiers, and seriously wound another.
• 4 February - Five UN Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda (HRFOR) workers are ambushed and killed in southwest Cyangugu Province. The victims included a Briton, Cambodian, and three Rwandans, all of whom were human rights observers of the OHCHR.