The Genocide in Rwanda

The genocide in Rwanda was something we heard of in the US, but really learned very little about. In April 1994, what had been a smoldering issue in Rwanda exploded literally overnight into one of the worst genocides in history. In just a few months, almost one million Rwandans were murdered at the hand of their countrymen. As with all genocides, the issues that led to it began decades earlier. The European settlers, lead by the early church missionaries, noted some physical differences between clans or tribes in Rwanda. Certain physical characteristics were measured and noted, and the people of Rwanda were divided into two groups by the Europeans – Tutsi and Hutu. There was no genetic or historical tribal difference in these two groups, yet the distinction had been made. The Europeans determined that family groups or clans that primarily raised and herded cattle were “Tutsi”, identified by certainly physical characteristics. The families that primarily farmed were called “Hutu”, and these Hutu families had a slightly different appearance.

The monarch who ruled the region at the time of Belgian colonization was a Tutsi. The Belgian administrators of the Rwandan protectorate continued to favor the Tutsi monarchy, and gave them administrative power. Over many decades, resentment built against the Tutsis as they benefited from the favor shown by the Belgian administration. Rwanda remained a very impoverished country, so those that were disenfranchised began to blame those in power for their troubles. Only 15% of the Rwandan population was called Tutsi, and only about 15% of those identified as Tutsi had actually benefited from the favor of the Belgian colonists (that’s only 2.25%). Nevertheless, a portion of the population identified as Hutu began to blame all of their problems on the Tutsi. Anyone labeled as a Tutsi was soon marked by a growing militant and vocal group of Hutu agitators.

An uprising in Rwanda in 1959 overthrew the Tutsi monarchy. At that time, a minority of Hutu first took militant action against some of the Tutsi clans that had been viewed as favored by the Belgians. Many of those families left Rwanda to escape persecution. The transition government led by Hutus came to power, and the issues were pushed below the surface for a period of time. However, even though the Tutsis were no longer in political power, many of the families that had benefited from the colonial rule continued to serve in business and administrative roles. Poverty continued to plague Rwanda, so the Tutsis were an easy scapegoat for the Hutu in power. It was easier to create a fictitious villain for those in political power than it was to fix the problems of the people. Sadly, the distinction used by many of those in power to villainize part of the population was created by the colonist, and had never existed before 1900. As the issues of poverty persisted, the propaganda against the Tutsi minority intensified.

After two decades of relative harmony between all groups, the situation irreversibly changed in 1990. Violence had surfaced in 1990 with armed conflict between a militant group of Tutsi exiles and Hutu nationals. Such conflicts continued unresolved, stoking fears and stereotypes in Rwanda about the power-hungry Tutsi. However, the Hutu president of Rwanda had been able to keep a lid on the boiling pot. That came to an end on April 6, 1994, when the plane carrying the president was shot down on his return to Kigali. In a matter of hours, the genocide exploded into the vicious death of thousands of Tutsis and moderate Hutus who tried to protect them. The death of the president seemed well coordinated by the most militant faction of the Hutu, as roadblocks were thrown up in Kigali within a few hours of the president’s death. The killings quickly engulfed most of the country, as militias and renegade army units began the planned purging of Rwanda of the Tutsi minority.

The issue exploded when it did because families of the Tutsis that had been in exile since 1959 had been pushing to return. After being refused repatriation, a group of exiled Tutsi had threatened to return peacefully or by force. The exiled Tutsis had formed a militia, and in the early 1990’s there were isolated but ongoing conflicts between the Tutsi and Hutu militias. In an attempt to resolve the conflict and appease all parties, a peace accord had been drafted in August 1993 that would share power between all parties. This threat of the re-introduction of Tutsis to power was what the extremist Hutu faction needed to justify their actions. They tried to convince the Hutu population that the Tutsis would return and try to take retribution on the Hutus. Therefore, they reasoned, the Hutus must kill all remaining Tutsis so that the exiles would have nothing to return to. Many Hutus were not militant, and did not feel this way. However, those who opposed the killings were themselves subject to death.

As the genocide began, the West stood by. The UN had stationed troops in Rwanda in response to the 1993 peace accord. However, when the real genocide began, those troops in Rwanda were not authorized to act. The commander of the UN troops begged for authority to act, feeling that the killing could be stopped. He felt like a relatively small but violent minority was behind the killings, so relatively few troops would be needed to enforce the will of the larger but powerless group of moderates. Instead, the UN troops were withdrawn from Rwanda, accelerating the slaughter. Only after the Tutsis militia was able to defeat their Hutu counterparts did the killings stop. The exiles, led by Paul Kagame, were able to fight their way into Kigali after a few months, pushing the militant Hutus into the south of Rwanda. Only then did the French send a contingent of 5,000 troops to Rwanda. However, all the French did was to create a line between the fleeing Hutu and the pursuing Tutsi, effectively protecting the perpetrators of the atrocities from their own form of justice.