Rwanda 1994-The Rwanda Genocide

Rwanda 1994 - The Rwanda Genocide

The genocide itself lasted around 100days and approximately 800,000 people were killed (8,000 a day some estimates have seen this number rise as high as a million deaths, however, an official figure has never been released, 800,000 is the most common figure and is the one quoted by human rights organizations. The conflict occurred as a result of long standing tensions between the 85% majority Hutu (meaning servant) population and 14% minority Tutsi (meaning rich in cattle) aristocracy as put in place by colonial Belgium. They had since been removed from power in the 1962 rebellion and since then had been seen as second class citizens. As a result of this, socio-ethnic tensions had been greatly increased and were only going to rise higher.

History and Build Up:
Belgium colonizes Rwanda and empower the Tutsi population making them the aristocracy and suppressing Hutu resistance.
However, before they leave they insight patriotic revolution by Hutus in the name of “democracy” meaning that violent clashes between the two tribes were not uncommon and lead to the eventual overthrow of Tutsi’s and establishment of a Hutu government, exiling many of the Tutsi aristocracy that they considered evil (1962-63).
Come 1990 many of these exiles and those who had fled before being caught began banding together to form a group called the Rwandan Patriotic Front (hereby RPF), these were led by Fred Rwigyema, a Rwandan exile that had risen to deputy minister of defense for Uganda but was sacked amidst increasing pressure on the Ugandan government to not allow non-Ugandans into government and also banning them from owning land. It was this legislation that almost forced the exiles to band together and force their way back to the
homeland.
RPF invade Rwanda putting pressure on the government to remove the ethnic barriers between Hutu and Tutsi’s but France send in troops to suppress RPF which works and this movement see’s Fred Rwigyema killed - the start of the Rwandan Civil War. Paul Kagame now takes control, withdrawing RPF as they couldn’t keep up with the French in conventional warfare. They fled to the mountains, where they fundraised, regrouped and drafted more personal giving them an army 12,000 strong by 1994 eventually forcing the government to sign the Arusha Accords which gave all major parties roles in the government and meant that a general election would have to be held, forcing the ruthless Hutu government out of power, by equally ruthless tactics. Upon signing of the accords, a UN peacekeeper enforced ceasefire took place.
Whilst this movement was supposed to simply make everybody equal, it was perceived as aggressive, that the Tutsi’s wanted power back and wanted to enslave the Hutu people again. This meant that there was mass uprising and protests among Hutu communities and eventually led to President Habyarimana actually put genocidal programs into place under the pretense that the Tutsi wanted to regain their monarchal role in Rwanda. This program called for the killing of any Tutsi and also any Hutu sympathizers, this was the birth of the famous “Hutu Power” regime. Hutu Power was then the ideology taken up by the Coalition for the Defense of the Republic (CDR) and the formation of this party then saw the Prime Minister stripped of his role by the President Habyarimana who then appointed Agathe Uwilingiyimana who was popular due to his strong Hutu Power stance and in fact publicly called for Tutsi ethnic cleansing.