The Rwanda Genocide

Where is Rwanda?

Overview of Details April-July 1994 (100 days) Death Toll estimates range from 500,000- 1,000,000 people (approximately 20% of the entire population of Rwanda) Tutsi vs. Hutu

Hutus and Tutsis

Background For 20 years prior to German and Belgian colonization the Tutsi had controlled most of Rwanda. This control continued under colonial rule. Ethnic differences loosely existed prior to colonialism. Belgians furthered the divide by issuing separate ID cards for the two tribes. When Belgian rule ended most of the land and power was left to the Tutsi and the Hutu were relegated to positions of forced labor.

Notes on the Classification System Tutsi were originally those that had more than 10 cows in their possession. There were few physical differences between the Hutus and Tutsis. Over time the classification was less about race or appearance and more about social class. Classification was inherited through the father.

Background During the 1950s the Hutu majority became rebellious and the Hutu Emancipation Movement began. By 1962 the Hutu majority had overthrown the Tutsi minority. The new Hutu leadership of Rwanda persecuted the Tutsi.

Background In 1973 Hutu General Habyarimana siezed power in a military coup. In 1986 the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) forms, a rebel group composed mainly of Tutsi refugees. In 1990 they invaded northern Rwanda in an attempt to defeat the Hutu- led government. This was the beginning of the Rwandan civil war. Hutus with support of France and French Occupied Africa vs. Tutsis with support of Uganda. Also in 1990 the Hutu government begins to train and arm civilian militia known as the Interhamwe (“Those who stand together”).

The Rwandan Patriotic Front

President Habyarimana

Background The civil war further agitated the tension between the Hutus and the Tutsis. The Hutu gravitated towards a more extreme ideology—they asserted that the Tutsi intended to enslave the Hutu and must be stopped at all costs. International pressure on the Hutu led government led Habyarimana to announce a cease-fire in 1993 and the signing of a peace treaty, the Arusha Accords.

Background Habyarimana is assassinated in April of 1994 by Hutu extremists (his own tribe) who feared he would really push for peace with the Tutsis. His assassination set off a violent reaction, resulting in the Hutus’ conducting mass killings of Tutsi and pro-peace Hutus who were portrayed as traitors.

Preparation for Genocide The killing was organized by the government. AK-47 assult rifles, machetes and grenades were widely distributed. In his testimony Rwandan Prime Minister Jean Kambanda revealed that the genocide was openly discussed in cabinet meetings. One cabinet member said, “I am personally in favor of getting rid of all Tutsi; without the Tutsi, all of Rwanda’s problems would be over.”

Genocide

Hotel Rwanda Based on real characters and events. It focuses on the efforts of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, to hide hundreds of Tutsi refugees from the Interhamwe militia.