1. Examining Genocide in Africa in the 1990’s
Rwanda
Examining Genocide in Africa in the 1990’s

2. What is Genocide? The word has a specific meaning Genocide is
Acts committed
With the intent
To destroy (in whole or in part)
A group of people
Based on a specific characteristic of that group, such as
Race
Religion
Ethnicity
Or any other characteristic specific to that group

3. The Most Famous Genocide
Is of course, the Holocaust
Officials of Nazi Germany worked on a systematic campaign to rid their territory of Jews and others they found “undesirable”

4. But There Have Been Others
Armenia, following WWI
Cambodia in the 1970’s*
Bosnia in the 1990’s*
Sudan in the early 2000’s
*We will look at these later

5. Our Focus Today Will be on the African nation of Rwanda
In 1994, this small African nation saw over one million of its citizens slaughtered in under 100 days
That’s roughly twice the population of Milwaukee

6. It Begins with Imperialism
We’ve discussed how Europeans had a “Scramble for Africa,” which made many African areas colonies of Europe
After World War I, Rwanda changed from a German colony to a Belgian one

7. The Germans in Rwanda Had been fairly well-liked
They had also appreciated the African people who lived there
They admired how unified the people of Rwanda were

8. The Belgians in Rwanda
Felt threatened by the Africans when they took over the territory
Worried that Africans would fight them, the Belgians began to divide the Africans and pit them against each other

9. Hutus, Tutsis, and Twa
The Belgians divided the Africans into these three groups or tribes
They engaged in racial classification
The Tutsis were considered to be the best, because they were the most “white”

10. The Tutsis Do Quite Well
Under the Belgians, the Tutsis are the only Rwandans who are allowed to go to school, own land, or get jobs within the government
The Hutus and Twa were denied all of these things

11. As You Might Expect
This leads to considerable discontent among the Hutus
The Tutsis make up about 14-15% of the Africans in Rwanda
The Hutus make up about 80-85%

12. In 1959 Things got so bad that violence occurred
The Hutus overthrew Tutsi rule and proclaimed an independent republic
The first Hutu President, Greg wa Kayabanda, was elected

13. Rather Than Simply Fix Things
The Hutus sought revenge
They began the same program of racial classification that the Tutsis had used, only now they used it to keep their control

14. More Time Passes
Rwanda elects new Presidents, but the tensions between Hutus and Tutsis continue to exist
However, one President seems to be ready to push for peace: Juvenal Habyarimana (president from ‘73-’94)

15. Others in Government
Don’t like the idea that President Habyarimana seems to be willing to sign a peace treaty with the Tutsis
Hutu extremists in the government begin preparations for violence
Creating citizen militias
Giving guns to Hutu civilians
Providing training for ordinary citizens in how to use weaponry

16. Then, on April 6, 1994 Violence will begin again
It starts when President Habyarimana’s plane is shot down
While never proven, it is believed members of his own government ordered the plane shot down in order to get the President out of the way

17. With No President Seeking Peace. . .
Violence rules
Between 900,000-1 Million people are killed in under 100 days
While the government had provided some weapons to citizens, most of the Hutus engaged in violence didn’t have guns
The majority of the million who died were beaten to death or killed with everyday objects like garden tools, kitchen knives, and machetes
The United Nations estimates that in the same time period, over a quarter-million Tutsi women were raped

18. The Tutsis in Rwanda Tried to rally
They banded together to form military units to fight back against the Hutu
This led to a civil war between the two groups, which only escalated the bloodshed

19. The International Response
Was not helpful
Leading up to April, the United Nations had received reports that the Hutus were planning a genocide, but they largely disbelieved or ignored it

20. Some Peacekeeping Forces Were Sent
There were UN Peacekeeping Forces in Rwanda
As the fighting escalated, however, the Belgian and U.S. Governments urged them to be removed for their own safety, and they were pulled out of Rwanda by UN Command

21. Flashback: Following WWII
The United Nations had moved to make certain that no genocide like the Holocaust would be permitted again: “Never Again”
The nations of the UN had signed an agreement making member nations legally obligated to step in and stop the violence, if the UN found that genocide was occurring

22. Rather Than Step In
The UN refused to acknowledge Rwanda as a genocide, instead referring to it as a civil war
Under this classification, the United Nations refused to intervene in Rwanda

23. The Genocide in Rwanda Stopped
Only because the Tutsis military forces began to win battles over the loosely-organized Hutu militia groups
Known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front, they established a new government made up of several groups, both Hutu and Tutsi

24. But There Were Problems
Thousands of Rwandans had lost their lands and their homes
Many were scattered throughout the nation and throughout Africa, because they had fled from the violence

25. In Addition
Tens of thousands of children had become orphans because their parents had been killed
HIV/AIDS had spread dramatically due to the amount of forced rapes
Many of those who lived were missing limbs or hands, etc., and so could not work

26. The Search for Justice
Thousands were jailed in the aftermath of the genocide
There were so many arrested that some of them are still awaiting a trial today

27. The United Nations
Has established a second court in neighboring Tanzania to deal with the backlog of cases
Slowly, those who were involved in the genocide are being brought to justice

28. Rwanda Today Has rebounded fairly well
Its economy is growing, and the nation seems to be doing well in terms of getting along
While still healing, the nation is now considered one of Africa’s more promising countries