The Rwandan Genocide

Many political leaders and other high profile opponents of the Tutsi were killed immediately. The Tutsi people tried to flee but there was roadblocks set up across the country. Many families were killed all together. Woman were beaten and raped. Approximately 200 000 people participated in the perpetration.

It was not until months after the initial killings that the United Nations finally acted and sent soldiers to protect civilians. In their absence, hundreds of thousands of people we... ... middle of paper ... ...d the two groups after World War I, they created a civil rivalry between the by favouring the Tutsis and the disregarding the Hutus as inferior. This rivalry would remain relatively dormant for almost a century until President Habyarimana would be assassinated in 1994. This act would initiate the genocide and the suppressed feelings of animosity would erupt into massacres all around the country and would even spill into neighbouring countries such as Burundi. The genocide was disregarded by the United Nations and few countries would offer assistance to Rwanda.

In 1994 the people of Rwanda went through a horrific experience when one of the major ethnic groups known as the Hutus, slaughtered hundreds and thousands of the second major ethnic groups known as the Tutsis over the course of 100 horrific days. The genocide resulted in the loss of almost one million lives, partly due to a lack of outside intervention, but also the surprising unification of the Hutus & Tutsis. At the same time, it influenced the way the world (more specifically the UN) handles situations like the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide as stated occurred during the year of 1994, but the events that triggered it in the first place had been building up for quite some time, all the way back to 1918. During this year, the Treaty

Before 2003 there were six million people living peacefully and all of the sudden there were three million people displaced, 400,000 people dead, and one despot. This sudden change was due to the Darfur government killing the citizens of Darfur. It began in 2003 when two peacekeeping rebel groups challenged the Darfur government, accusing it of neglect. The government responded by killing and raping as many people they could making it a national genocide. A Genocide is the action of deliberately killing a group of people, specifically one certain ethnic group or religion.

It lasted for 100 brutal days. The Hutus then began to slaughter the Tutsis because there was no government control, so it was a perfect time to rebel. There were two Hutu rebellion forces named the Interhamwe which means, “Those Who Attack Together” and the Impuzamugami which means “Those Who Have the Same Goal.” There were many people that killed people close to them. Co-workers killed co-workers, friends killed friends, neighbors killed neighbors, and husband killed wives. They did this to save their own lives.

Later in 1959, the Rwandan revolution occurred, resulting in Hutus overthrowing the Tutsis government and the anti-Tutsis made Tutsis flee to neighboring countries. In 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) started the Rwandan Civil War. It went on for about two years and weakened Hutu leader Habyarimana's power. Eventually he gave in to signing the 1993 Arusha Accords with the RPF. Yet, the cease-fire came to an end on April 6th, 1994 when Habyarimana was killed in a plane crash; purposely shot-down by an anonymous.

The Rwandan Genocide was a terrible event in Africa's history that decimated many minorities in Rwanda. The Hutu killed 800,000 people of minority in Rwanda, including Tutsi and Pygmy people in 100 days, and if it was scaled to the length of time the Holocaust took place, the casualties would be more than 34 million people killed. Citizens were told to gather arms and fight against their neighbor, and many obeyed. Before the war By the 1990’s Rwanda was one of Africa’s most populous countries, despite having a small land mass. 85 percent of the population was Hutu, the other 15 percent consisted of mostly Tutsi, along with a small number of Twa, and a group of Pygmies that originally populated Rwanda.

Though it was never determined who shot the plane down, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, who were Tutsi rebels, have been blamed (The Rwandan Genocide). Immediately following the assassination, violence erupted in the capital city, Kigali. (Genocide in Rwanda) During the 100-day period after April 6, 1994, between 800, 000 and one million Tutsi people were slaughtered. (Genocide in the 20th Century: Rwanda 1994) On April 7, roadblocks began to appear and soldiers began scouring the country for any person whose identification card read “Tutsi”. Entire families were murdered, often by their own neighbors and friends, and occasionally by relatives through marriage.

Out of those three groups, the Tutsi occupied 10 percent of powerful leadership roles, which upset the Hutus (20th Century History). After the Germans invaded, Rwanda struggled for independence from Belgium. The Hutus, who were the majority of Rwanda’s population, were put in charge by the Rwandan government. This upset the Tutsis, sinc... ... middle of paper ... ...tal genocide. After their president’s unexpected death, the Hutus to the Tutsi unification was destroyed.

Although the indigenous peoples of Rwanda are the Twa, they are now the minority. 90% of Rwanda's population is comprised of Hutus, and the rest of the population's majority consists of Tutsi people. Hatred between the two ethnic groups had begun in the pre-colonial era, which was long before the 20th century. The gruesome events of the genocide lasted for 100 days, and during this time many fatalities occurred. The crimes committed during the genocide were fueled by vengeance and hatred.