The Genocide of Rwanda By Alyssa Sayers

Genocide is a term used when the Government neglects a certain religion living in the country, and by getting rid of them, they use methods of "execution, terror, and torture." They purposely execute large amounts of people, hoping to create a perfect "population," in their country. What is “Genocide”?

What happened in Rwanda? The incident of Rwanda was a genocidal slaughter of the Tutsi population located in Rwanda. These genocide's were controlled by the members of the Hutu-led majority of government. 500,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed and executed during this 100 day tragic event that took place from April 6 -July, 1994. 70% of the Tutsi population, with an additional 30% of the Pygmy Batwa were murdered. This genocide took place during the Rwandan Civil war that broke out in 1990 between the Hutu-led government and the "Rwandan Patriotic Front." What happened in Rwanda?

Where did this Genocide take place? This Genocide had taken place in a small country located in Central Africa called "Rwanda." Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Central Africa, and the population count is 7 million.

Who was targeted during the Genocide? During the three month Genocide in Rwandan, members of the Hutu ethnic majority, located in the east- central African nation of Rwanda, had murdered as many as 800,000 people. Most of the executions were done on people who came from the Tutsi minority. There was also a small number of people in Twa, a Pygmy group who originally inhabited Rwanda, that were executed by the Hutu clan. Who was targeted during the Genocide?

When did the Genocide occur? This tragic event had only been for a year, but those three months were the worst of times for the habitants living in Rwandan. It commenced on April 6, 1994, and had ended on July 15, 1994.

How did the Genocide of Rwanda occur? The two separate groups (Hutu and Tutsis) always had tension... until the Germans took over, lost control after WW1, Belgium gained control and the conflicts took a turn for the worse. Belgian colonists traveled and settled in Rwanda during the year of 1916. Their mission was creating identity cards to specify the difference between the two ethnic groups. Belgian colonists favored the Tutsis over the Hutus because of their looks that familiarized the European culture (lighter skin/sharper nose). Belgian gained so much control that they sent scientists to Rwanda, to measure certain nose lengths of the Tutsi and Hutu tribes. April 6, 1994, the Rwandan President "Juvenal Habyarimana" part of the Hutu religion, was in grave danger. His plane was shot down, above Kigali Airport. This first act initiated the Rwandan Genocide. Rwanda had a poor employment rate, therefore they used the closest weapons they could to do the execution. Weapons used throughout the killings were: Machetes, knives, and spears.

Why did the Genocide of Rwanda happen? The Genocide of Rwanda was caused by several acts of discrimination against the Tutsi tribe by the Hutu clan. When the Belgian colonists came to Rwanda, they started to favour the Hutu's. The Tutsi's were thrown aside because of their differences of ethnic background. They were racially discriminated against due to their looks of appearance. They were looking for people who had lighter skin, and smaller nose lengths. There were many rules included to separate the two tribes. A Hutu having no rights to marry a Tutsi, or befriend them. They also believed the Hutu's should stop showing empathy towards the Tutsi tribe. The final rule was that the majority of education should be led/taught by the Hutu clan. Each act increased the separation which caused conflict to continually break out and end with negative consequences, which caused the Rwanda Genocide to happen.

What was the world’s response? After the Genocide took place in 1994, the world started to take a stand and notice the severe conflicts that were happening in Rwanda. The world's response was very delayed as they only realized that they needed to start supporting the country when all of the devastating incidents were already done and Rwanda was left in complete destruction. Rwanda was affected politically, socially, and economically and major assistance was needed through agriculture. "The World Food Programme," were working on providing relief to the communities by delivering food and seeds for planting. This allowed Rwanda to gain their strength and courage back. The Ministry of Health also provided health care and rehabilitation to the community. The Us contributed to a cause called the "Genocide Survivors Fund and the Great Lakes Justice Initiative," over several years to provide assistance and care to the refugees settling in Africa. These funds brought extreme relief to the people in Africa who needed shelter and safety. The international community, continued to take a stand against violence still happening in Rwanda. They believe that we can stop violence, crime, hate and violation, and put a stop to Genocides. I think that the world's community is doing everything they can to create a better Rwanda in hopes of preventing any future genocides or hate-crimes.

Citations http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa- 13431486 http://teaching.quotidiana.org/our/2006/rwan da/response.html http://thefactfile.org/rwandan-genocide-facts/