Genocide in Rwanda

In April of 1994, conflict broke out in Rwanda between the Hutu Tribe and the Tutsi Tribe after the plane of President Jevenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down. Over the next 100 days over 800,000 men, women and children were brutally murdered.

There has been a history of animosity between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority ever since Belgian colonists in 1916. Although the two groups are very similar the Belgians differentiated them using identity cards and classifying the Tutsis as superior to the Hutus; this resulted in resentment from the Hutus. When the Belgians left Rwanda they gave power to the Hutus who were not forgiving to the Tutsis for all their years oppression. Many Tutsis fled to neighboring countries such as Burundi and Uganda as refugees.

These refugees began forming together to form the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) with the aim of taking back the government. When President Habyarimana’s plane was shot down it was automatically assumed that the RPF was behind it. Within hours the killing of innocent Tutsis in Rwanda began. The militia group blamed for the genocide, Interhamwe, grew to 30,000 people strong.

During this time the UN troops were only there to keep the peace. After ten of their soldiers were killed they withdrew all troops and let the massacre continue. Eventually the RPF overcame the Interhamwe and ended the genocide. Unfortunately hundreds of thousands of people had already been massacred with machetes.

Additional Readings:

How the Genocide Happened

Rwanda's Hundred Days of Genocide

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