The government forces and presidential guard were fighting refugees that fled rwanda, while the citizens of rwanda were trying to flee. The united nations security council has explicitly accepted responsibility for failing to prevent the 1994 genocide in rwanda in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed. One of the worst massacres of the rwandan genocide took place on april 15 to 16, 1994 at the nyarubuye roman catholic church, located about 60 miles east of kigali. Eye witnesses to a human catastrophe a thesis submitted to the faculty of the school of continuing studies and of the graduate school of arts and sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in liberal studies. In 2007, the rwandan government abolished the death penalty, which had last been carried out in 1998 when 22 people convicted of genocide related crimes were executed. Sample essay on causes and effects of rwandan genocide. Sep 20, 20 1994 in rwanda, an estimated 800,000 civilians, mostly from the tutsi ethnic group, are killed over a period of three months.
The brief description of rwandan genocide shows how the tensions of genocide are caused by the radical political events in the society, such as revolution, colonization and etc. The rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the tutsi, was a mass slaughter of tutsi, twa, and moderate hutu in rwanda, which took place between 7 april and 15 july 1994 during the rwandan civil war in 1990, the rwandan patriotic front rpf, a rebel group composed of tutsi refugees, invaded northern rwanda from their base in uganda, initiating the. The death toll for this genocide ranged from about 500,000 people to a 1,000,000. Abstract during 100 days in the spring and summer of 1994 in rwanda a planned genocide orchestrated by extreme members of the hutu ethnic group, the ruling faction. Also, specific research and references for the aforementioned are included. The impact of the rwandan genocide on gender identity. In the first formal response to a report critical of the uns role, council members acknowledged its main finding that their governments lacked the political will to stop. Genocide in rwanda aprilmay 1994 human rights watch. Rwanda and rtlm radio media effects scott straus department of political science university of wisconsin, madison introduction the rwandan genocide has become a textbook case of the ways in which hate speech, especially the use of the.
For my summer project, i researched the causes of rwandan genocide with a focus on the political situation and how it affected the ethnic tensions and, eventually, the outbreak of genocide. Outreach programme on the rwanda genocide and the united. This provided the rwandan government and the akazu an inside r. Dec 06, 2012 during the devastating genocide in rwanda, the media in rwanda had a major role in producing and maintaining an environment which validated the massacre that took place. About 70% of the rwandan population was killed after the rpf ended the civil war that was against government forces. As a result of rwanda and similar debacles, the public perception of peacekeeping operations is mixed, to say the least.
Causes and consequences of the rwandan conflict politics essay. In this paper i will investigate the true motivation of the 1994 rwandan genocide as more than just social divide and ethnic hatred between the hutu and the tutsi. This genocide damaged and destroyed the social cohesion and make up of rwandan society. Oct, 2011 in the early african summer of 1994, years of ethnic tensions in rwanda ruptured into genocide. In an attempt by the hutu regime to annihilate each and every tutsi, between 500,000 to 800,000 or even 1,000,000 tutsis were killed at the hands of hutus. The rwandan genocide, however, does not have a signal signaturea hitler, a pol pot, a stalin.
Rwandas population was 85% hutu, 14% tutsi, and 1% twa a pygmy tribe. In its motivation and construction, mamdani argues, the rwandan genocide needs to be understood as a natives genocide. Analyze the causes of the rwandan genocide the writepass. Role of the international community in the rwandan genocide. Melvern is an investigative journalist who researched the rwandan genocide and interviewed many members of the united nations, governments, spectators and victims. This ideologically driven genocide is a clear example of state sponsored massmurder. Rwandan medias promotion of hatred for tutsis was magnified. In 1994 more than 800,000 people were slain in the small african country of rwanda.
The genocide dismantled the emotional stability of the country, instilled fear and mistrust among community members, and led to a sudden breakdown in the traditional social organization of the people, exposing many widows. Oct 02, 20 for my summer project, i researched the causes of rwandan genocide with a focus on the political situation and how it affected the ethnic tensions and, eventually, the outbreak of genocide. I had originally planned to focus on the independence movement in rwanda during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The plane had also carried the then burundian president cyprien ntaryamira, and the two leaders had been returning from a summit in tanzania. Pdf causes of rwandan genocide and how it could be.
The genocide in rwanda was based on two groups, believed to be based on ethnicity, the hutu and the tutsi. The two groups of hutu and tutsi fought in a civil war in the countries of rwanda and burundi. When the hutus discovered their reign had ended they feared tutsi backlash and about 2 million. The killers struck with a speed and devastation that suggested an aberrant force of nature, a people gone mad, said some observers. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The population in the year 1994 was approximately seven million people. Well, genocide is deliberate killing of a large group of people,espeically those of a particular ethnic group or nation. On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the rwanda genocide, the school of journalism and communication at carleton university in ottawa hosted a oneday symposium on march 2004, entitled the media and the rwanda genocide. July 17, 1998 the rome statute, to establish a permanent.
In this context the parallel can be found in the armenian genocide, which occurred in the beginning of twentieth century,1915. The outreach programme on the rwanda genocide and the united nations focuses on preventing genocide and supporting survivors. This study is significant because it will contribute to the understanding of the real causes of the conflict in order to effectively find a durable solution. A detailed analysis for gikongoro province marijke verpoorten though counting the number of victims of a genocide is a historical and political necessity, it is always an extremely hazardous exercise. Introduction this paper aims to discuss and examine the causes of the 1994 rwandan genocide. The hutu who are of bantu origin comprises of the largest ethnic group making 84 percent of the population of rwanda. The civil war began when the armed wing of the rwandan patriotic front rpf invaded from uganda in the autumn of 1990. The spectre of the rwandan genocide loomed large in the public consciousness throughout the 90s and early 2000s, and remains a black mark in u. The rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the tutsi, was a mass slaughter of tutsi, twa, and moderate hutu in rwanda, which took place between 7 april and 15 july 1994 during the rwandan civil war. Billy batware, ma peace and conflicts studies european peace university, austria 15. Rwandan genocide, perhaps as many as three quarters of the tutsi population. Explaining rwandas 1994 genocide university of denver. The killings as many as 1 million people are estimated to have perished shocked the international community and were clearly acts of genocide. At the same time, thousands of hutu were slain because they opposed the killing campaign and the forces directing it.
A critical analysis of the rwandaburundi genocide and the. The end of the genocide didnt mean an end to continues repercussions it would leave behind on far too many innocent lives. Jun 30, 2015 causes and effects of rwandan genocide can be understood properly by understanding the background of this country first. Here, the mayor of the town, a hutu, encouraged tutsis to seek sanctuary inside the church by assuring them they would be safe there. It employs the 1994 rwandan genocide ethnic conflict, as a case study to demonstrate the empirical evidence of deleterious impacts conflict ethnic has on the educational development. The international community didnt give one damn for rwandans because rwanda was a country of no strategic importance these are the words general romeo dallaire, force commander of the united nations assistance mission for rwanda unamir used to describe the reaction and failure of the international community to the rwandan. The international panel of eminent personalities to investigate the 1994 genocide in rwanda and the surrounding events was created by the organization of african unity. This anthology brings together a variety of viewpoints that debate the causes of this genocide, the worlds reaction to these events, and the rebuilding of this scarred nation. The international community didnt give one damn for rwandans because rwanda was a country of no strategic importance these are the words general romeo dallaire, force commander of the united nations assistance mission for rwanda unamir used to describe the reaction and failure of the international community. The list of rwandas most wanted is a hodgepodge of hutu power bosses, military officers.
The 1994 rwandan genocide saw over 900,000 tutsis and hutus from the opposition brutally massacred over a period of 3 months. Regarding the rwandan genocide of 1994, none of the estimates produced until now were based on records held by the. Origins of rwandan ethnic conflicts the precolonial period saw rwanda as a united state. A summary of the rwandan genocide polytechnic school. Rwanda is an african country that comprises of three ethnic communities. Illuminee nganemariya, now 42, was a young tutsi bride during those terrible days. Hutus opposing the genocide were also killed, being proclaimed traitors. Rwanda is a landlocked country in central africa heart of africa, country is also known as land of thousand hills with land area of 26,338km 2. The event was sparked by the assassination of juvenal habyarimana and the burundian president. Main causes of the 1994 rwanda genocide explore rwanda tours.
It lies 75 miles southward of equator, 880 miles west of indian ocean, and 1,250 miles east of atlantic ocean. Causes and effects of rwandan genocide can be understood properly by understanding the background of this country first. Rwandas genocide was triggered by the shooting down of president juvenal habyarimanas plane in kigali on april 6, 1994. Under their king, rwandans profited from the leadership of the monarch and exercised their rights fully. Outreach programme on the rwanda genocide and the united nations. Cause and effects of the rwandan genocide, 1994 in august of 1994 the tutsi rpf group lead by kagame retook the capital and soon after, the rest of the country, ending the genocide. Historically, the tutsis had been the ruling class, which was enforced by belgian colonialism, so centuries. It draws attention to the lessons learnt from the rwanda genocide in. Comparison of the genocides in rwanda and ottoman empire. Genocide, the united nations, and the death of absolute rights. The genocide on 6 april 1994, the deaths of the presidents of burundi and rwanda in a place crash caused by a rocket attack, ignited several weeks of intense and systematic massacres.
Rwanda, commonly referred to as the land of a thousand hills, is populated by three ethnic groups 84% hutu, 15% tutsi and 1% twa. May 24, 2018 the spectre of the rwandan genocide loomed large in the public consciousness throughout the 90s and early 2000s, and remains a black mark in u. The effect on their social and political roles lisa a. Green, lezlie l, gender hate propaganda and sexual violence in the rwandan genocide. A brief history of the country rwandas population of more than 7 million people is divided into three ethnic groups. In just 100 days an estimated 800,000 tutsis and moderate hutus were killed.
It was a genocide by those who saw themselves as sons and daughters of the soil, and their mission as one of clearing the soil of a threatening alien presence. The impact of the rwandan genocide on gender identity irenees. The united nations and rwanda, michael barnett, a political officer at the united states u. Yet, at the time of the genocide rwanda held one of the rotating seats on the unsc. The upcoming of the rwandan genocide before we begin,some people may ask what is the meaning of genocide.
In this genocide, more than one million tutsi were killed for the sole reason of being tutsi. What are some of its implications for gender relations. As the genocide was unprecedented in african annals, so is the panel. Mar 07, 2015 introduction this paper aims to discuss and examine the causes of the 1994 rwandan genocide. The hutu, tutsi and twa socioeconomic stratifications of rwanda human groups swore allegiance to the same monarch. Causes and effects of the genocide the rwandan genocide. As a consequence of the genocide, there was a large number of households came to be lead by women and children. The rwandan genocide, 1994 the thenpresident of rwanda, juvenal habyarimana, had decided, after long opposition, to comply with the arusha accords and put an end to the crisis and civil war. Rwandas genocide began on the night of april 6, 1994, after the shooting down of a plane carrying the rwandan and burundian presidents, who both died in the crash near kigali. The genocide in rwanda, like all genocides, was a complex phenomenon that resulted from a combination of longterm structural factors as well as more immediate decisions taken by powerful actors. The genocide also resulted in drastic economic consequences. Apr 15, 2000 the united nations security council has explicitly accepted responsibility for failing to prevent the 1994 genocide in rwanda in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed.