The Causes Of The Rwandan Genocide In Rwanda

The genocide in Rwanda, however rather short lived, killed more than 800,000 civilians and sparked fear and panic that carried on long after the “100 days of slaughter” (Rwanda Genocide: 100 Days of Slaughter, 2014). The long-time clash between two major ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis, came to a head in 1994 and began the civil war which soon evolved into a full scale genocide. Many innocent lives were lost as well as families broken apart during this short time span. As this tragedy happened, the United Nations watched without interfering to the extent that they were capable of doing. As an organization that strives to keep international peace, it was part of the UN’s duty to step up and help the defenseless people of Rwanda. The fear of getting involved in Rwanda stopped the United Nations from helping to prevent the mass murder known as the Rwandan Genocide. If this organization would have stepped in earlier or taken more control, more lives could have been saved.

The mass murder took place in 1994 when the majority of the Rwandan population was a part of the ethnic group known as the Hutus. Although they made up the bulk of the population (close to 85%), the Hutus were known to have a low social rank in Rwanda. The ethnic group that made up

Looking back on what happened, many people are ashamed of the lack of response that the UN had when they heard of all the murders (The Triumph of Evil, n.d.). The genocide will always be remembered as an occurrence that could have been minimized or avoided completely with the proper aid. However, the past is the past. Rwanda survived and is now becoming a considerably prosperous country. Although civilians have moved on and new laws have been created to stop this sort of crisis from happening again, the memories of pain and horror people suffered with after the Rwanda Genocide will never be