...Many of previous genocides shown ineffectiveness of UN peacekeepers. UN peacekeepers failed to prevent genocides such as in Rwanda, Srebrenica an Darfur (Vermeulen & Grünfeld, 2009). Rwanda genocide is considered “to be the fastest, most efficient killing spree of the twentieth century” (Power, 2011 para 1). Rwandan Civil War was a conflict between two ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsis populations (BBC News, 2011). There has always been tension between these ethnic groups in Rwanda. Death of the Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana sparked the civil war and genocide in Rwanda (BBC news, 2011). During Rwanda civil war, “800,000 Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu” were killed within 100 days (Power, 2011, para 1). During the Rwanda civil...
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...African Culture of Rwanda Tutsi’s and Hutu’s The monarchy of the Tutsi was predestine for greatness but, due to the Tutsi’s believe Godly sanctions has occurred and the monarchy over power. I will make a comparison between the culture of Americans and Africans and the similarities of both obsessed ethnic groups in each society and is the culture and the conflict between the various ethnic groups. The Tutsi’s and Hutu's who had an essentialist that stereotypes a powerful factor in mobilizing civilian's to participate in the killing in of the lives of Rwandan's despite, the current state policies. Rwanda civil war began in 1994 where there were two ethnic groups called the Hutu’s and Tutsi’s. It was shortly after World War I when Belgium expanded control over Rwandan. The Tutsi’s were mainly chosen, because of their skin color. The fact’s that their skin was whiter than the Hutu’s. The Tutsi’s enter into a leadership position in which they promote discrimination against the Hutu’s. The Tutsi’s had favored over the Hutu’s because of how light they were. Additionally, they were position to receive the better jobs and better education opportunities but, between the two groups. The Tutsi’s is now as the majority in Rwanda compared to the Hutu’s. They denied Hutu’s the right to own land and a better education. They had to governmental representation in order to maintain the dominancy within the country. They figured out early on how to suppress there people...
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...Ethnic Conflict in Emerging Democracies Rwanda & Sri Lanka SOC300036VAO16*1114*001 Sociology of Developing Countries Instructor: Professor CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance received in its presentation is acknowledged and disclosed in the paper (at the end). I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas, or words, either quoted directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared specifically for this course and has not been used for another course (and will not be) either in whole or substantial part. NAME AND DATE: Abstract Interethnic conflict in developing countries can cause many problems that can be very hard to solve. When countries have harsh dictatorships or communism the ethnic conflicts with its people can be squelched to a certain extent. As the country breaks free and heads towards democracy ethnic issues can stun or stop democratic growth. In other cases countries that have never experienced constant leadership and a solid form of government tend to have on again off again ethnic and civil unrest. In this paper we will examine the relevance of problems of multi-racial or multi-cultural political and social relations in the areas of Sri Lanka and Rwanda. These two areas have a long history of civil unrest, shoddy government, and ethnic conflict. Although these are some of the cornerstone issues that have contributed...
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...analyze gender stratification and its relation to women in Rwanda; also the demographic imbalance in post-genocide Rwanda will be explored. In addition in the following paragraphs the current roles women in Rwanda play in the areas of economics, politics, and social development after genocide will be discussed. In Rwanda in 1994 genocide occurred with mass killings of hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsis and Hutu. The death tolls are believed to be 800,000 or more. The three main ethnic groups in Rwanda have a very long history of social differences. Although they had differences they were able to live in relative peace until German and Belgian colonizers encouraged the barely controlled animosity between the Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa to erupt into violence. Habyalimana was president at this time and his assassination started the Rwanda genocide, which became one of the most massive killings in history. The women and young girls of this country were the victims of rape, mutilations, and death. The Hutu’s targeted and killed Tutsi’s and moderate Hutu men which not only was this genocide but it was also focused on gender. During the genocide there were a large number of Tutsi males murdered throughout Rwanda, and even today the scars from this civil war are still being felt and it is evident in Rwanda’s demographic imbalance. It is believed by sociologists that the demographic imbalance will continue in Rwanda for many years. One effect that this demographic imbalance...
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...Ethnic Group Conflict Paper Deonte Jones PSY/450 July 5, 2012 Professor Eugene Schimmel Ethnic Group Conflict Paper Social cognition and social perception can be altered through external forces. As evidenced by the exploits of colonialism in Rwanda, the Hutus and Tutsis, two people from the same region in Africa with shared language and customs became the target of such exaggerated and contrived differences. Accordingly, the colonizers effectively constructed ethnic divides, constructed and reinforced differences in social cognition and social perception through repressive means. Even as they did so for the purpose of colonizing the nation and ultimately the minority the Tutsis, these efforts in cognitive reconstruction inspired tragedy. In fact, it led to unintended nevertheless grave consequences, which extended for decades. The Ethnic group conflict that caused problems was the problem in Rwanda East Africa between the Hutus and the Tutsis. According to Langford (2002), in 1994 the Rwandan genocide took place with more than 800,000 people slaughtered. Over the course of 100 days there were a half of a million people killed which is 20 percent of the country’s population. It was a long hold ethnic competition with the minority Tutsi, who had power and control over the country for centuries and the majority Hutu people who became rebellious in the early 1960’s. Discuss the concept of conformity and how it relates to your selected ethnic groups ...
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...as the history of Rwanda, the environmental, cultural, political and the role of the media and how they contributed to the mass killings of the Rwandan population. Raphael Lemkin has defined genocide as the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group. Moreover the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide has stated that acts such as intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group all account for genocidal acts. In 1994 Rwanda witnessed the unleashing of the genocide of the Tutsi by the ruling Hutu led government. It had been stated that Rwanda erupted into one of the most appalling cases of mass murder the world has witnessed since the Second World War. From 1894 until the end of World War 1, Rwanda was part of German East Africa. An estimation of half a million people was killed. The killings in Rwanda fell into three categories; combatants killing combatants, Hutu citizens, parliamentary and military forces killing Hutu citizens because the victims were either moderate or were willing to live and work with Tutsi and the Hutu killing Tutsi because they were Tutsi. The population of Rwanda is made up of three ethnic groups. One percent of the population are Twa (pigmy hunters), fourteen percent are Tutsi (Ethiopian pastoralists) and eighty five percent are Hutu (Bantu farmers). The Belgians and Germans arrived in Rwanda in the 1900’s and wanted to control and rule Rwanda. The Belgian colonisers...
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...analyze gender stratification and its relation to women in Rwanda; also the demographic imbalance in post-genocide Rwanda will be explored. In addition in the following paragraphs the current roles women in Rwanda play in the areas of economics, politics, and social development after genocide will be discussed. In Rwanda in 1994 genocide occurred with mass killings of hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsis and Hutu. The death tolls are believed to be 800,000 or more. The three main ethnic groups in Rwanda have a very long history of social differences. Although they had differences they were able to live in relative peace until German and Belgian colonizers encouraged the barely controlled animosity between the Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa to erupt into violence. Habyalimana was president at this time and his assassination started the Rwanda genocide, which became one of the most massive killings in history. The women and young girls of this country were the victims of rape, mutilations, and death. The Hutu’s targeted and killed Tutsi’s and moderate Hutu men which not only was this genocide but it was also focused on gender. During the genocide there were a large number of Tutsi males murdered throughout Rwanda, and even today the scars from this civil war are still being felt and it is evident in Rwanda’s demographic imbalance. It is believed by sociologists that the demographic imbalance will continue in Rwanda for many years. One effect that this demographic imbalance...
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...SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE THABA TSHWANE THE CAUSES AND DYNAMICS OF CONFLICT IN CENTRAL AFRICA By Ms C. Auret November 2009 This research paper was written by a programme member attending the South African National Defence College in fulfilment of one of the requirements of the Executive National Security Programme 20/09. The paper is a scholastic document and this contains facts and opinions which the author alone considered appropriate and correct for subject. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any agency, including the South African Government or Department of Defence. This paper may not be released, quoted or copied except with the express permission of the Department of Defence. INDEX |HEADING |PAGE | | | | | | | |Abstract……………………………………………………………………………… |3 | |Introduction………………………………………………………………………….. |3 | |Historical Review of Conflict in Central Africa ……………………………...
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...Rwandan Genocide Nora Aly Student #10025622 Poli470 Words: 3,451 Introduction: Background of Rwanda Ethnic distinctions and fragmentations, whether actual or perceived have proved to be the causes of several genocides throughout history; in the case of the Rwandan genocide, this was no exception. The Twa, the Hutu and the Tutsi were and continue to be the groups of people constituting Rwanda (Pearn J, 203). Tensions and conflicts with groups in Rwandan society, primarily with the Hutus and the Tutsis eventually led to the immensely destructive 1994 genocide of the Tutsi people as well as Hutu people perceived to be Tutsi sympathizers and supporters. The 1994 Rwandan Genocide, executed mainly by Hutu powers, resulted in approximately 10,000 deaths for 100 days which is the highest rate of killing seen throughout any known act in history (Cohen, J). Within the time period of the communal existence of the Hutus and the Tutsis, political struggle, rivalry, colonization, and civil war were all factors that assisted in leading to the tension that finally erupted into a brutal act of genocidal violence against all Tutsi people. Close examination and analysis of the civil war which occurred during 1990-1993 between the Hutus and the Tutsis, will be elaborated extensively to assist in accounting for the eruption of the genocide. Through a close, detailed analysis of the political, ethnic and socio-economic factors that led to Rwandan Civil war, a close connection between the civil war...
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...Subject: Anthropology Title: The role of the Catholic Churches in the genocide of Rwanda Thesis Statement: There is historic evidence of the Catholic Churches being responsible for the 1994 genocide that claimed the lives of nearly a million and this demands the church to accept responsibility and make amends Introduction: This paper is objectively aimed at presenting the issue of the Rwandan Genocide and the role of the church in this gruesome massacre. The preaching of Christianity professes brotherhood and love and violence of any kind does not find its place in Biblical literature and practice. History is witness to the fact that the genocide in Rwanda claimed the lives of millions and has scarred the survivors for life. It has been proven beyond doubt that the church authorities were responsible for creating racist ideologies in the minds of the Rwandan population over a period spanning several decades which led to the eventuality of the creation of ethnic groups’ i.e. the Tutsi and the Hutu. The ideologies based on racism led to intensification of the hatred and dissention between the groups thereby leading to several massacres right up to the 1994 genocide. Later on post the genocide, the church did exclaim guilt and repentance for having been instrumental in causing the genocide. Is it acceptable that after a genocide that claims the lives of nearly a million, an expression of guilt and repentance would undo the harm done? Would this act restore faith of...
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...shook Rwanda and the world in 1994, there have been many attempts to explain, or at least understand, the nature of the human tragedy known as the Rwandan genocide. Most accounts describe how two rival ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi, were engaged in a bitter dispute culminating in 1994. During a period of less than three months, widespread torture and brutality resulted in 500,000 to 800,000 (mainly Tutsi) deaths.[1] After over three years of civil war following an invasion of mainly Tutsi refugees from neighbouring Burundi, a series of negotiations resulted in the adoption of the Arusha accord, which called for the eventual sharing of power between the invaders (known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF) and the former regime of Hutu President Juvénal Habyarimana, and his party, the Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND). The widespread killings, mainly committed by the interahamwe, a group of Hutu extremist militias, began after the plane carrying President Habyarimana was shot down on the night of April 6, 1994. In the months that followed, the international community essentially turned a blind eye to the bloody massacre that was to unfold in the Rwandan anarchy. It seems no overstatement to portray the Rwandan genocide of 1994 as a “failure of humanity,” to use the words of the commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), Canadian General Roméo Dallaire.[2] There is a distinct danger, however, of oversimplifying Rwanda as a case...
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...Rivalry between Hutu and Tutsi A. Background of Hutu and Tutsi B. Effect of the West in Rwanda 3. The Massacre A. The mass killings B. The Perpetrators C. Women and Children in the genocide 4. The Aftermath A. Tutsi Government B. Economic Recovery C. Physical and Psychological effects 5. Conclusion A. Personal Opinion B. Recommendations Introduction The genocide concept comprised two words, genos, a Greek word meaning tribe or race and cide a Latin word meaning killing of pointed out by Polish Jurist Raphael Lemkin. According to the definition agreed upon on the United Nations Genocide Convention, the term means “Acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious groups, 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 the group; Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group” (Hinton 3). The Rwandan genocide involved group killings and physically harming individuals in a specified ethnic community. It is the worst occurrence in the modern history. Rwanda, a colony of Belgium is approximately a third of its size. Rwanda acquired independence in nineteen sixty two. The 1994 Rwandan massacre which happened in a span of a hundred days...
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...This essay seeks to discuss the major factors that led to intra-state conflict in Rwanda that ultimately resulted in the April 1994 genocide. My discussion will start by giving a historical background to the nature of relations that existed between the two ethnic groups during the colonial era. It is during this era that seeds of hate between the two ethnic groups were perpetrated. My discussion will then focus on how events in the post-colonial era unfolded resulting in the genocide activities. Before going into the detailed discussion, there is need to define the terms intra-state conflict and genocide. Intra-state conflict is the occurrence of armed conflict within rather than between states. These conflicts involve ethnic or religious groups fighting against each other or against the government to secure autonomy, independence or well-being. Intra-state conflicts are therefore mostly referred to as ethnic or civil conflicts. These conflicts usually break out when one group-ethnic, religious or social feels disadvantaged or exploited by another group in the same state and tries to change that through violence. According to Aldelman (2005), the Rwanda 1994 genocide was the most appalling case of mass murder the world has witnessed since the Second World War. The genocide resulted from the deliberate choice of a modern elite to foster hatred and fear to keep itself in power. According to Shah, (2006), this was a case of the majority Hutu who comprised 85% of the population turning...
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...A Summary of the Rwandan Genocide Rwanda: A Brief History of the Country Rwanda’s population of more than 7 million people is divided into three ethnic groups: the Hutu (who made up roughly 85% of the population), the Tutsi (14%) and the Twa (1%). Prior to the colonial era, Tutsis generally occupied the higher strata in the social system and the Hutus the lower. However, social mobility was possible, a Hutu who acquired a large number of cattle or other wealth could be assimilated into the Tutsi group and impoverished Tutsi would be regarded as Hutu. A clan system also functioned, with the Tutsi clan known as the Nyinginya being the most powerful. Throughout the 1800s, the Nyingiya expanded their influence by conquest and by offering protection in return for tribute. Ethnic Conflict Begins The former colonial power, Germany, lost possession of Rwanda during the First World War and the territory was then placed under Belgian administration. In the late 1950’s during the great wave of decolonization, tensions increased in Rwanda. The Hutu political movement, which stood to gain from majority rule, was gaining momentum while segments of the Tutsi establishment resisted democratization and the loss of their acquired privileges. In November 1959, a violent incident sparked a Hutu uprising in which hundreds of Tutsi were killed and thousands displaced and forced to flee to neighboring countries. This marked the start of the so- called ‘Hutu Peasant Revolution’ or ‘social revolution’...
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...For over a half of a century in Rwandas history, the Tutsi and Hutu tribes fought over power in a ethnic battle fueled by discrimination and harsh persecution. The Tutsi and Hutu tribes were pushed against eachother by foreign imperialistic powers until finally in 1994 a large scale incedent was finally sparked. The blame of this incedent cannot be put unto anyone without looking into the years of hatred that built up to it. Before the European occupation of Rwanda, The Tutsis and Hutus lived coexistent lifestyles. Tutsis and Hutus were separate ethnic groups that lived peacefully. Some Tutsis and Hutus were local chiefs within Rwanda, and at this time there was no organized discrimination or Clashes between the groups. After World War 1, Belgium overtook Rwanda as a colony and established the Tutsis as the natural born leaders of the Nation. The once peaceful lifestyle that existed in Rwanda was no more, As all Tutsis were given Identity cards to distinguish them from the Hutu Subclass. During this period racial tensions mounted as the Hutus were oppressed. During the 1950s, the Tutsi Elite began to strive towards independence and lash out against the centralized belgian rule in Rwanda. In an attempt to silence this movement, the Belgian Government shifted their support towards the Hutu Majority who lacked experience in domination. Soon after, with the Communist nations in the United Nations supporting Rwandan Independence, Clashes between the weaker Tutsis and the now...
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