Belgian Imperialism In The 1994 Rwandan Genocide

1994 Rwandan Genocide
Rwanda had one of the most devastating tragedies because the Belgians were able to turn the Rwandans against each other. The Rwandan Genocide is when the Hutu tribe tried to eliminate the Tutsi tribe. The Tutsis and Hutus of Rwanda did not do the whole entire genocide alone, in fact they had help from the Belgians. Before the Belgians colonized Rwanda, the Hutus and Tutsis and Twa got along well and there was peace in Rwanda. After the Belgians instituted a classification system making Tutsis more superior tension began to rise between the two tribes. This rivalry lasted for a long time until the turning point of when the president of Rwanda died. The Hutus were furious and started to erase the Tutsi tribe. Colonization
led the Rwandans to genocide because the Belgians put the Rwandans in a hierarchy which caused a rift and rivalry between the Tutsi and Hutu tribe. Rwandans lived peacefully before Belgians came in and divided them. Prior to any country invading Rwanda the Tutsi tribe was in charge of the Hutu and Twa tribes. Even though the Tutsis were in charge they were able to be fair and treat all other tribes equally. At that time there were no hierarchies or discrimination. In the source Genocide in Rwanda the writer composed, “Although Rwandan kings were of Tutsi lineage, they did not force Hutu into a slave-like feudal system”(Genocide in Rwanda). Rwandans were able to have someone in power without wanting to discriminate or overrule the other tribes, they simply lived comfortable with each other. Before the Hutus and Tutsis fought against each other they fought alongside each other. In a primary source titled We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families the author, Philip Gourevitch writes, “ The chiefs were called Mwamis, and some of them were Hutus, some Tutsis; Hutus and Tutsis fought together in the Mwamis’ armies” (Gourevitch 47). The Tutsis and Hutus were united to defend themselves as a nation. There was no competition between the two tribes instead they united to defend themselves from others. Before Belgians colonized Rwandans the Germans and installed a classification system. In the article Rwanda Genocide the author wrote,“The Germans issued ethnic identity cards to separate the ethnic groups and advanced Tutsis to leadership positions and better jobs, heightening tensions between the two groups” (“Rwanda Genocide”). The Germans gave the Belgians a head start by giving the Hutus and Tutsis groupings and placing Tutsis at a higher position. After years of discrimination the Hutus grew outraged and began rioting to change they way the system worked. Shortly after, Hutus came into power. It all started when the President of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana, was killed in April of 1994 in a plane crash. Habyarimana was a very much loved president by the Hutus since he himself was a Hutu. Although there is no evidence, Hutus believed the death of Habyarimana was done by Tutsis. Within an hour of the plane crashing the genocide began. Roadblocks were set up so no Tutsis could escape their homes. The Hutus wanted to make sure that all power was seized from Tutsis. The Hutus wanted all Tutsis gone and that started with the most powerful Tutsis. In the article titled Rwanda, the author Mark Drumbl wrote, “On the first day of the genocide, death squads also killed leaders of the predominantly Tutsi Liberal Party and the multiethnic Social Democratic Party, several cabinet ministers, justices of the constitutional court, journalists, human rights activists, and progressive priests” (Drumbl). The Hutus did not want any Tutsis to retaliate so they began the genocide by eliminating the most important members. Hutus were on the look out for all Tutsis no one could remain left. There was nowhere to hide for the Tutsis, the Hutus would search the homes of the Tutsis and kill all Tutsis. Gilbert Masengo Rutayisire, a survivor of the genocide recalls his experience in the time of the genocide. Rutayisire was a Tutsi and remembers almost getting killed by one of his house workers named Nsababera Eraste. Rutayisire was hiding in the ceiling of Eraste’s home, when Eraste realized where Rutayisire was he was going to kill him because he was a devoted Hutu and was ready to eliminate someone, Eraste ended up having a change of heart when he remembered all great memories he had with that family. One of Rutayisire’s worst memory of the genocide is when his mother was killed by Hutus. Rutayisire stated, “My mother was horribly killed; she was taken from the carcuters and got shot at the gate” (Rutayisire). Rutayisire’s mother was shot at ten am and was left there to bleed until another Hutu came back around three pm to see Rutayisire’s mother still breathing, but he quickly ended her life. Those events give an idea of how devastating it was to be a Tutsi in the genocide in Rwanda. Colonialism contributed as a huge factor in the Rwandan genocide because they started the rivalry between Tutsis and Hutus.
The Belgians thought it was fine to install classifications in a country in which they did not own but it was not okay. The Belgians favored the Tutsis even though they were the minority group because their features resembled the Belgians more. The favoritism of the Tutsis made the Hutus jealous because they did not deserve to be treated less than others. The scriptor of Rwanda Genocide wrote, “The Belgians instituted a classification system, sorting all native people as either Tutsis or Hutus, and granting Tutsi chiefs nearly all of the power.” (Global Issues). The result of this classification system is the uprising of the Hutus. The Hutus were tired of being treated like lower class citizens when all of them came from the same place. This act made a drift between the relationship of the Tutsis and Hutus. The Hutus wanted revenge from being discriminated against in their own country by their own people which led to the genocide. Also while the genocide was occurring in Rwanda the United Nations never stepped in to help until it was too late.The author of Rwanda wrote, “The commander of UNAMIR forces, General Roméo Dallaire, sent a memo to UN headquarters informing them that he had been informed of the existence of the secret plans of Hutu extremists to carry out genocide. None of these warnings were headed.” (Governments). None of the countries stepped in to help at that time because this genocide was in Africa where their lives were not as important as others. Everyone knew how life was for the Tutsis, but they did not care because if they did then they would have sent help in
immediately. The genocide was coming to an end when the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) which a Tutsi run tribe gained control of the country and many Rwandans mainly Hutus fled to refugee camps in Congo. Many people were sentenced to jail for letting this horrific act happen in Rwanda. This is what happens when countries try to lead other countries that they aren’t familiar. The Belgians thought by putting in classifications in Rwanda everything would be easier and more organized, but it all backfired when the Rwandans would not tolerate the unfair treatment. Even when Rwanda was in a crisis the Belgians or anyone did not step in to help what they created. If no country ever colonized Rwanda they could have avoided this upsetting time in history and lived in peace.