The genocide was conceived by extremist elements of rwandas majority hutu population who planned to kill the minority tutsi population and anyone who opposed those genocidal intentions. The preventable genocide, the 2000 report of the international panel of eminent personalities appointed by the organization of african unity to investigate the 1994 rwanda genocide. On april 6, 1994, rwandan president juvenal habyarimanas personal plane, a gift from french president francois mitterand, was shot down as it returned to rwanda, killing habyarimana, burundian president cyprien ntarymira, and members of their entourages. Even so, the nature of the rwandan state must be seen as absolutely central. In april, 1994, the president of rwanda was killed in an airplane crash. Pdf in 1994, rwanda experienced a genocide in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed during a little more than 100 days. This genocide damaged and destroyed the social cohesion and make up of rwandan society. Four mass graves have been discovered in rwanda, 24 years after the genocide crosses mark a mass grave site of the victims of the april 11, 1994 massacre of thousands of refugees at a technical. Considered the worst crime against humanity, genocide is the planned mass. Rony zachariah medical coordinator, butare, msf belgium, april 1994 people interviewed an d their position at the time of the events.
France actively supported the hutuled government of juvenal habyarimana against the tutsidominated rwandan patriotic front, which since 1990 had been engaged in a conflict intended to restore the rights of rwandan tutsis both within rwanda and exiled in. 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 rwandan civil war. The background and causes of the genocide in rwanda oxford. 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 killings as many as 1 million people are estimated to have perished shocked the international community. Rwanda executive summary the 1994 rwandan genocide has. Outreach programme on the rwanda genocide and the united nations. During the rwandan genocide of 1994, members of the hutu ethnic majority in the eastcentral african nation of rwanda murdered as many as 800,000 people, mostly of the tutsi minority.
Returning from decades of exile to defeat the genocidal forces, the rwandan. This case study considers military and internaional political responses to the april 1994 conflict between the rwandan patriotic front rpf and the rwandan government forces rgf and the. Rwanda 19901994 conference in the hague, june 1 june 3, 2014 executive summary former peacemakers, peacekeepers and peace monitors from more than a dozen countries, as well as the united nations, gathered in the hague from june 1 to june. International day of reflection on the 1994 genocide against the tutsi in rwanda vertical banner. Genocide in rwanda aprilmay 1994 human rights watch. In this genocide, more than one million tutsi were killed for the sole reason of being tutsi. The effect on their social and political roles lisa a. The internal debate over whether genocide was occurring in rwanda in 1994 and us officials use of the term began nearly as soon as the killing began. Walking the road to genocide 20 gerald caplan part one.
Since genocide is the most aberrant of human behaviours, it cries out for explanation. This genocide, committed by rwandans against rwandans, destroyed social bonds between rwandans and damaged economic institutions. Conflict profile rwanda 1994 in 1994, rwandan hutu extremists murdered more than 800,000 tutsis and between 10,000 and 30,000 hutu moderates in what is sometimes described as the most efficient genocide of the 20th century. Although the identity of the person or group who fired upon the plane has never been conclusively determined, hutu extremists were originally thought to be. It indicated that genocide and other systematic, widespread and flagrant violations of international humanitarian law were committed in rwanda. Rwanda is a mountainous, landlocked nation whose economy is based on agriculture and most residents are farmers. During the next four months, hutu extremists and their followers executed a gruesome, preplanned genocide and politicide. He is also founder of remembering rwanda, the rwanda genocide tenth anniversary memorial project and has developed and teaches a course. Seventyfive percent of the tutsi population was killed. Since genocide is the most aberrant of human behaviors, it cries out for explanation. International decisionmaking in the age of genocide. Genocide the genocide of the tutsi in 1994 was a carefully planned and executed exercise to annihilate rwandas tutsi population and hutus who did not agree with the prevailing extremist politics of the habyarimana regime. Rwandan genocide part of the rwandan civil war human skulls at the nyamata genocide memorial location rwanda date 7 april 15 july 1994 target tutsi population, twa, and moderate hutus attack type genocide, mass murder deaths 500,0001,074,016 killed perpetrators hutu led government, interahamwe and impuzamugambi militias, hutu neighbours defender rwandan patriotic front motive anti. In addition to violence by the military, attacks and massacres conducted by.
The genocide of rwandan tutsis 1994 case study is describing the difficulties and dilemmas met by medecins sans frontieres msf during the genocide of rwandan tutsis in april, may and june 1994. The dual role of religion regarding the rwandan 1994 genocide. The international panel of eminent personalities to investigate the. Message to symposium on the media and the rwanda genocide ix ko. Hintjens abstract any adequate account of the 1994 genocide in rwanda must acknowledge manipulation by external forces, domestic pressures and psychological factors. Nevertheless, department of state officials refrained from characterizing it as such for weeks. Thousands of rwandans and global leaders, past and present, joined together at the stadium to remember the countrys 1994 genocide, when more than 800,000 ethnic.
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. When the hutus discovered their reign had ended they feared tutsi backlash and about 2 million. Zaire and in a belated attempt to redress past injustices the colonial. Brigitte vasset director of operations, msf france dr. A summary of the rwandan genocide 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. The death of president juvenal habyarimana of rwanda in a suspicious plane crash on april 6, 1994 was the pretext for hutu extremists from. The international criminal tribunal for rwanda ictr. It is estimated that some 200,000 hutu, spurred on by propaganda from.
During the 1994 genocide in rwanda, up to one million people perished and as many as 250,000 women were raped, leaving the countrys population traumatized and its infrastructure decimated. The genocide was conceived by extremist elements of rwanda s majority hutu population who planned to kill the minority tutsi population and anyone who opposed those genocidal intentions. Pdf the dual role of religion regarding the rwandan 1994. The role of france in the rwandan genocide of 1994 has been a source of controversy and debate both within and beyond france and rwanda. Denial of the 1994 genocide against the tutsi in rwanda. It lies 75 miles southward of equator, 880 miles west of indian ocean, and 1,250 miles east of atlantic ocean. Explaining the 1994 genocide in rwanda semantic scholar. To appreciate them, a short journey through rwandas history is necessary.
The genocide was conceived by extremist elements of rwandas majority hutu population who planned to kill the minority tutsi population and anyone who opposed those. As the genocide was unprecedented in african annals, so is the panel. On april 6, 1994, hutus began slaughtering the tutsis in the african country of rwanda. The genocide in rwanda in 1994 led to the murder of estimated 800,000 tutsis by hutu mobs over the course of 100 days. Mar 14, 20 rwanda genocide 7041994 4071994 en integralite image. From 1894 until the end of world war i, rwanda, along with burundi and present day tanzania, was part of german east africa. In 1994, rwanda erupted into one of the most appalling cases of mass murder the world had witnessed since the second world war. Lasting 100 days, the rwandan genocide left approximately 800,000 tutsis and hutu sympathizers dead. This genocide was by no means the first time attempt by the government of rwanda to wipe out. Church politics and the genocide in rwanda by timothy longman vassar college abstract christian churches were deeply implicated in the 1994 genocide of ethnic tutsi in rwanda.
Rwanda genocide of 1994, planned campaign of mass murder in rwanda that occurred over the course of some 100 days in apriljuly 1994. In brief congressional research service summary rwanda, a small landlocked country in central africas great lakes region, has seen rapid development and security gains since about 800,000 peoplemostly members of the ethnic tutsi minoritywere killed in the 1994 genocide. International criminal tribunal for rwanda wikipedia. Rwanda to a certain extent was affected by recruitment ethic crushes such as that of 1959 by hutu against tutsi who had fled to uganda during huku revolt againist. Annan preface xi notes on contributors xiii 1 introduction 1 allan thompson 2 the media dichotomy 12 romeo dallaire 3 rwanda. Postgenocide rwanda provides a remarkable counterexample, where ddr has largely succeeded despite the ongoing threat of.
The 1994 genocide against the tutsi would thus be classified as genocide by the united nations in resolution sres955 1994 on november 8th, 1994. Pdf files for the banners are available in 6 langauges for print, as well as the web. In the early 1990s, rwanda experienced one of the most terrible cases of genocide the world has witnessed since the end of world war ii. The 1994 rwanda genocide was the result of an economic crisis, civil war, population growth and a struggle for state power. Rwanda genocide of 1994 rwanda genocide of 1994 genocide.
According to kaufman, rwandas genocide must have been motivated by an exceptionally hostile, eliminationist hutu mythology aimed against the tutsi extreme mass hostility against tutsi, and chauvinist mobilization based on manipulating ethnic symbolsall resulting. Menya ukuri youtube ubwicanyi bwinyarubuye muri genocide yakorewe abatutsi burenze ukwemera duration. Outreach programme on the rwanda genocide and the united. Main causes of the 1994 rwanda genocide explore rwanda tours. Churches were a major site for massacres, and many christians par tieipated in the slaughter, including church personnel and lay leaders. 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. The international response to conflict and genocide. Rwanda 19901994 united states holocaust memorial museum. Rwanda to a certain extent was affected by recruitment ethic crushes such as that of 1959 by hutu against tutsi who had fled to uganda during huku revolt againist colonal rule and later the 1990 conflict between huku led government of juvenal.
Beginning on april 6, 1994, and for the next hundred days, up to 800,000 tutsis were killed by hutu militia using clubs and machetes, with as many as 10,000 killed each day. Background and current developments congressional research service summary in 2003, rwanda held its first multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections in decades. 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. This planned campaign was led by key ethnic hutu members of the government against the tutsi ethnic minority. The 1994 humanitarian response to genocide and civil war. A woman consoles bizimana emmanuel, 22, during the 20th anniversary commemoration of the 1994 genocide at amahoro stadium april 7, 2014 in kigali, rwanda.
Just before and during the 1994 genocide, hutu political leaders insisted on the importance of protecting the gains of the revolution, which. Despite this, the survivors, the genocide perpetrators and their respective families now have. The killings as many as 1 million people are estimated to have perished shocked the international community and were clearly. A report on the banality of evil, new edition 1994. The genocide in rwanda, like all genocides, was a complex phenomenon that resulted from a combination of longterm structural factors as well as more. 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.
512 1313 1144 612 277 1415 1240 1493 320 867 658 467 648 1161 1081 1212 1373 763 389 1529 430 515 273 321 637 1389 771 370 1343 1246 246 1354 1079 1148