The genocide that took place in Rwanda began in 1994 and lasted only 100 days, the Rwandan Genocide is one of the most famous modern genocides. During the 100-day period between April and July 1994, nearly one million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed as the international community and UN peacekeepers stood up.
To understand how such a tragic event could have occurred, the Rwandan Genocide must first be seen as a product of Belgian colonialism. During colonial rule, Rwandan's ethnic groups: Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa became racial. It is the rigidity of these identities and their relationship to political power that will lay the groundwork for genocidal violence. When Rwanda gained independence in 1962, the ethnic majority, the Hutu, were left in power. Hutu rule resulted in widespread discrimination against Tutsis, laying the groundwork for the 1994 genocide.
In addition, the Rwandan Genocide must also be understood as taking place in the context of civil war. Before the genocide began, a civil war began between the government's armed forces and the rebels of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by the Tutsis exiled in Uganda in 1990. The context of the ongoing war led to anti-Tutsi propaganda, painting Tutsis as traitors. which is dangerous.
On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying Rwandan President Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down over the capital Kigali, all on board killed at that time. The two presidents are Hutu, the majority ethnic group that inhabits Rwanda. Until now, it has never been determined with certainty who the perpetrators. Some blamed Hutu extremists, while others blamed RPF leaders.
Within an hour of the plane crashing, the Presidential Guard, together with members of the Rwandan armed forces (FAR) and the Hutu militia groups known as the Interahamwe ("Those Who Attack Together") and Impuzamugambi ("Those With a Common Purpose"), established roadblocks and barricades and began massacring Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Among the first victims of the genocide were moderate Hutu Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and 10 Belgian peacekeepers, killed on April 7. The violence created a political vacuum, with the interim government of the extremist Hutu leader from the military high command stepping into April. 9. The killing of Belgian peacekeepers, meanwhile, triggered the withdrawal of Belgian troops. And the UN directs that peacekeepers only defend themselves after that.
Thousands of abandoned machetes were collected on the border of Rwanda and Tanzania, where Hutu refugees fleeing Rwanda were allowed to cross the border on condition they left their weapons in 1994 (ABCnews.go, 2019).
Over the next 100 days, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost due to ethnic-based violence like never before seen in Rwanda. The majority of the Hutu, armed with knives, nail sticks and spears, moved from house to town in the cities, pursuing the Tutsis, the second largest of Rwandan's three ethnic sects. Even though the massacre was planned by the Government called 'Hutu Power' and carried out by the military and armed militias, countless ordinary citizens were effectively involved in the atrocities that took place. Neighbors betray neighbors; friends clash with each other and even family members kill each other.
Most of the victims were slaughtered with basic weapons, for example, sticks and tomahawk axes. An estimated 130,000 people effectively participated in the killings. A very relevant question at the time, was how a large number of apparently normal individuals could become murderers and commit atrocities that are difficult for human conscience to process? (Russell, 2009).
Prior to the start of the genocide, Rwanda had two national radio stations, RTLM and Radio Rwanda. RTLM began broadcasting in July 1993, and quickly became the most popular station in the country. Although state-owned Radio Rwanda had broadcast some anti-Tutsi propaganda prior to the genocide, RTLM provided the most extreme and inflammatory message. Alternative print media do exist.
The number of victims of the 1994 genocide by district in Rwanda (Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, University of Minnesota).
