The population in the year 1994 was approximately seven million people. The two groups of hutu and tutsi fought in a civil war in the countries of rwanda and burundi. Sample essay on causes and effects of rwandan genocide. Origins of rwandan ethnic conflicts the precolonial period saw rwanda as a united state. 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. 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. 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. Rwandas population was 85% hutu, 14% tutsi, and 1% twa a pygmy tribe.
The hutu who are of bantu origin comprises of the largest ethnic group making 84 percent of the population of rwanda. 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 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. Comparison of the genocides in rwanda and ottoman empire. In this context the parallel can be found in the armenian genocide, which occurred in the beginning of twentieth century,1915. Genocide in rwanda aprilmay 1994 human rights watch. Explaining rwandas 1994 genocide university of denver. Causes and consequences of the rwandan conflict politics essay. 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. 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 genocide also resulted in drastic economic consequences. The rwanda genocide was an abhorrent event in 1994 that lead to the casualty of an estimated 800,000 people, around 20 times the population of the state of california.
Genocide, the united nations, and the death of absolute rights. 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. The effect on their social and political roles lisa a. 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. This provided the rwandan government and the akazu an inside r. The killings as many as 1 million people are estimated to have perished shocked the international community and were clearly acts of genocide. 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.
This ideologically driven genocide is a clear example of state sponsored massmurder. 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. This genocide damaged and destroyed the social cohesion and make up of rwandan society. A summary of the rwandan genocide polytechnic school. A critical analysis of the rwandaburundi genocide and the.
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. Outreach programme on the rwanda genocide and the united. In 1994 more than 800,000 people were slain in the small african country of rwanda. Yet, at the time of the genocide rwanda held one of the rotating seats on the unsc. The event was sparked by the assassination of juvenal habyarimana and the burundian president. I had originally planned to focus on the independence movement in rwanda during the late 1950s and early 1960s. July 17, 1998 the rome statute, to establish a permanent. The genocide in rwanda was based on two groups, believed to be based on ethnicity, the hutu and the tutsi. Green, lezlie l, gender hate propaganda and sexual violence in the rwandan 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 outreach programme on the rwanda genocide and the united nations focuses on preventing genocide and supporting survivors. At the same time, thousands of hutu were slain because they opposed the killing campaign and the forces directing it. Mar 07, 2015 introduction this paper aims to discuss and examine the causes of the 1994 rwandan genocide. The impact of the rwandan genocide on gender identity.
Rwanda is an african country that comprises of three ethnic communities. The end of the genocide didnt mean an end to continues repercussions it would leave behind on far too many innocent lives. When the hutus discovered their reign had ended they feared tutsi backlash and about 2 million. The 1994 rwandan genocide saw over 900,000 tutsis and hutus from the opposition brutally massacred over a period of 3 months.
The rwandan genocide, however, does not have a signal signaturea hitler, a pol pot, a stalin. In its motivation and construction, mamdani argues, the rwandan genocide needs to be understood as a natives genocide. 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. It lies 75 miles southward of equator, 880 miles west of indian ocean, and 1,250 miles east of atlantic ocean. Rwandas genocide was triggered by the shooting down of president juvenal habyarimanas plane in kigali on april 6, 1994. 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. 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. 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. Introduction this paper aims to discuss and examine the causes of the 1994 rwandan genocide. 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. 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.
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. Not just a term, a reality in rwanda this document is to provide brief information on genocide, specifically the 1994 rwandan genocide, although a brief history of genocide acts starting from the 1959 revolution are included. 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. Pdf causes of rwandan genocide and how it could be. The government forces and presidential guard were fighting refugees that fled rwanda, while the citizens of rwanda were trying to flee. Jun 30, 2015 causes and effects of rwandan genocide can be understood properly by understanding the background of this country first. As a consequence of the genocide, there was a large number of households came to be lead by women and children. It draws attention to the lessons learnt from the rwanda genocide in. Political causes of the rwandan genocideclosing comments. In this genocide, more than one million tutsi were killed for the sole reason of being tutsi. Rwandan genocide, perhaps as many as three quarters of the tutsi population. Role of the international community in the rwandan genocide. Under their king, rwandans profited from the leadership of the monarch and exercised their rights fully.
The civil war began when the armed wing of the rwandan patriotic front rpf invaded from uganda in the autumn of 1990. Main causes of the 1994 rwanda genocide explore rwanda tours. The list of rwandas most wanted is a hodgepodge of hutu power bosses, military officers. The hutu extremists, known as interahamwe were successful in their genocide. The plane had also carried the then burundian president cyprien ntaryamira, and the two leaders had been returning from a summit in tanzania. Regarding the rwandan genocide of 1994, none of the estimates produced until now were based on records held by the. Rwanda, commonly referred to as the land of a thousand hills, is populated by three ethnic groups 84% hutu, 15% tutsi and 1% twa. 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. 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. 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.
In just 100 days an estimated 800,000 tutsis and moderate hutus were killed. Causes and effects of rwandan genocide can be understood properly by understanding the background of this country first. As the genocide was unprecedented in african annals, so is the panel. Hutus opposing the genocide were also killed, being proclaimed traitors. Oct, 2011 in the early african summer of 1994, years of ethnic tensions in rwanda ruptured into genocide. Illuminee nganemariya, now 42, was a young tutsi bride during those terrible days. Also, specific research and references for the aforementioned are included.
A brief history of the country rwandas population of more than 7 million people is divided into three ethnic groups. Analyze the causes of the rwandan genocide the writepass. The united nations and rwanda, michael barnett, a political officer at the united states u. 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. 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. As a result of rwanda and similar debacles, the public perception of peacekeeping operations is mixed, to say the least. 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. Well, genocide is deliberate killing of a large group of people,espeically those of a particular ethnic group or nation. Here, the mayor of the town, a hutu, encouraged tutsis to seek sanctuary inside the church by assuring them they would be safe there. Causes and effects of the genocide 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.
What are some of its implications for gender relations. 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. 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. Historically, the tutsis had been the ruling class, which was enforced by belgian colonialism, so centuries. 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.
The upcoming of the rwandan genocide before we begin,some people may ask what is the meaning of genocide. Rwandan medias promotion of hatred for tutsis was magnified. Melvern is an investigative journalist who researched the rwandan genocide and interviewed many members of the united nations, governments, spectators and victims. Causes and effects of rwandan genocide, 1994 by devika. 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. 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. 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. The impact of the rwandan genocide on gender identity irenees. The killers struck with a speed and devastation that suggested an aberrant force of nature, a people gone mad, said some observers.
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. Outreach programme on the rwanda genocide and the united nations. 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. Americas hidden role in the rwandan genocide, 12 september. Scientific poster genocide rwanda 1994 introduction. The hutu, tutsi and twa socioeconomic stratifications of rwanda human groups swore allegiance to the same monarch. About 70% of the rwandan population was killed after the rpf ended the civil war that was against government forces.
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