The Rwandan genocide is argued to be one which stands out from all other genocides in the 20th century. Howard Adelman, a theorist and professor emeritus from York University argues that the Rwandan genocide stands out from any other genocide, because it could have been prevented (Adelman, 2005). The essay aims to critically evaluate the Rwanda genocide by asking ‘who and why’, to accurately point out the cause of the genocide. There have being many debates on the causes of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The 1994 Rwandan genocide was a picture of killing moderated by extremist Hutus against Tutsis. An estimated 800,000 people where killed (www. hrw.org). The essay will show that the causes of the Rwandan …show more content…
They went further to say a democratic process would have brought the government to trial for the murder of the Tutsis (Michael, Mann, 2005). The issues of massacre and murder later become apparent; as investigations conducted by the Rwandese association for the defence of human rights published in December 1992 indicated (African Rights, 1995).
The commission reported mass killings and massacres in Rwanda. Not only that, the level of corruption in the country put the government on the edge (www.hrw.org). Although Rwandan corruption was not equivalent to that of Zaire, it exposed the elite to corruption charges. The fear of facing charges of mass murder and corruption led to the perpetration of the Rwandan genocide. (African rights, 1995)
So far the essay has concentrated on the question of ‘why and what’ made the perpetrator commit the crime of genocide. In this part of the essay the focus is on who the perpetrators were and their core …show more content…
Belgian interference in Rwandan politics in 1973 and 1990 was significant in leading to the genocide. With the above composed and manipulated, the effort of the radio helped cause the Rwandan genocide.
In addition the essay has demonstrated that ideology was the moving force of the Rwanda genocide. The findings also show other factors contributing to the genocide. Factors such as the fear of democracy, economic crises of 1973 and the 1990s, harsh structural adjustment programmes, fear of persecution, myths of over-population and most significantly the effect of European colonisation in Rwanda.
Hutu extremist ideology was a main cause of the Rwandan genocide. Reflecting back on the essay we can conclude that a combination of the historic events and ideology of hatred contributed to the genocide. The media was a significant tool which assisted the Hutus in speeding their ideology. In effect the combination of both the ideology and the media resulted in the genocide.
There are no solutions to the prevention of genocide, but the Organisation of the African Union, argues that an investigation of the causes of the Rwandan genocide will assist in future prevention of