Rwanda

100 Days of Genocide

Genocide• Genocide is a term defined as any of the following

acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such:

Killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within a group; and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group

Rwanda Genocide• The Rwandan genocide was the systematic

massacre of an estimated 1,000,000 Tutsi tribe members and moderate Hutus in Rwanda

• The killing was mostly carried out by two extremist Hutu militia groups, Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi

• The massacre lasted approximately 100 days from April to mid-July, 1994

Rwandan Genocide Cont.

• The genocide began with Tutsi individuals and families being taken from their homes and killed in secret locations.

• Then it grew into mass killings in central locations like schools and churches.

• Eventually the slaughter spread everywhere, and people were being hacked to death in the streets.

Rwanda-History

• 3 tribes of people that inhabit Rwanda– Twa, the original inhabitants– Hutus, migrated in 1000 A.D.– Tutsi, migrated in the 14th or 15th century

Rwanda-History (Continued)• The Tutsis tribe of people gained a large dominance over the

Hutus• By the late 18th century, a single Tutsi-ruled state occupied

most of the present day Rwanda• The rule was headed by a Tutsi King who controlled the land

and gave power over the regions to the Tutsi groups• The Tutsis, in turn, dominated the Hutus, who had the

majority of the population-The population of Rwanda was :– 75% Hutu– 20% Tutsi– 5% Twa

Rwanda Under Belgian Rule• During WW1 (1916), Belgian forces occupied

Rwanda• In 1919 it became part of the Belgian League

of Nations• Before the Belgian rule, Hutus and Tutsis lived

together as neighbors• When the Belgians took power in Rwanda, they

gave political power to the Tutsis• Tutsis were considered to have Caucasian

ancestry (through lighter skin, larger skulls) and therefore were ‘superior’ to Hutus

Rwanda Divided• One of the major contributing factors to the split of ethnic groups was the creation

of group classification on ID cards in 1933

• The Belgian government introduced a rigid racial concept of group identity where it had not previously existed-the ID cards now stated if the individual was Twa, Hutu or Tutsi

• Another important factor was the repeated decision by the Rwandan Government (after independence in 1962) to retain the group classifications on ID cards

Tutsi Superiority Myth

• The Belgians gave the majority of political control to the Tutsis

• Tutsis began to believe the myth of their superior racial status and exploited their power over the Hutu majority

• Created a resentment of the Tutsis by the Hutu people

Rwanda 1990-1993

• In 1990, Rwanda was invaded from Uganda by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), made up mainly of Tutsi refugees. The invasion was unsuccessful, but the president of Rwanda agreed to share the power of the country

• In 1993, a power-sharing agreement was signed between Hutus and Tutsis

Rwanda 1994

• In April 1994, the president of Rwanda and the president of Burundi were killed in a suspicious plane crash

• Civil strife erupted on a massive scale• Rwandan soldiers and Hutu gangs

slaughtered an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus

Rwanda Today

• Rwanda is struggling to heal and rebuild• It is showing signs of rapid development• Many Hutu members have returned to

Rwanda• The government has promoted

reconciliation and economic development

Images From RwandaThe follow set of slides show images from Rwanda and the

Rwandan Genocide.

Some of these images show how beautiful Rwanda and its people are.

Other images, some graphic and disturbing, show the unspeakable violence and horror of genocide.

Rwanda is in Central Africa

Machetes – Tools of Genocide