...Analyse the causes of the Rwandan genocide Genocide has been seen as one of the worst moral crimes in the world. In this essay I will be analysing the causes of the Rwandan genocide by taking into account factors such 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)...
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...One hundred days of internal war in Rwanda has become one of the brutal massacres in the history of human kind. More than five hundred thousand people died in this injustice religious war where Tutsi people were exploited brutally throughout the whole country by Hutu people( Des et al, 1994 ). When we examine the issue to find the potential stimuli that trigger the war, we cannot deny the fact that the lack of religious tolerance was the main cause to fuel this massive killing. It can be clearly seen that due to the lack of religious tolerance in between Tutsis and Hutus, one of the massive killing in the human history has raised a bigger question about the status of human rights in Rwanda attention from developed nation’s involvement within the country Under the colonial law established from Belgium and Germany, Rwanda was in overall control of Tutsi people (Des et al, 1994). Under the kingship of King Rwabugiri Hutu people were regarded as one of the mostly hated groups within the country (René et al, 2004). This is how the preparation of the massive massacre began. Despite the effort of Belgium colonialism to maintain balance between Hutu and Tutsi people, the hatred and anger just kept growing. It was plain simple unfair society in Rwanda seeking for right political space in the land. Tutsi meaning “rich in cattle” were overall control and Hutus meaning “servant” were becoming modern day servants (René, 2004).The existing government were in control of Tutsi people who first...
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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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...HOTEL RWANDA RWANDA GENOCIDE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN CONGO By GRADI MUYEMBI KAYEMBE Fall 2014 Preface Our century has been portrayed by many issues that are not example for the next generation, but this is not the reason why we should cut off the history to the next generation. The reason why I decided to write about this topic is to share with you about what really happen and what is happening in Africa that people in the USA don't know. I signed for this class because I thought that it would be interesting to share the issues that other people are facing in world and particularly in the Congo where I am from. I don't have the full accuracy of everything written in this essay but I will share some researches that other people did through the issues and my own experience through the issues. Introduction Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. The term Genocide has been defined by many people through out the 20 th century, but the UN defined it in 1946 after the holocaust as: A denial of the right of existence of entire human groups, as homicide is the denial of the right to live of individual human beings; such denial of the right of existence shocks the conscience of mankind, and is contrary to moral law and to the spirit and aims of the United Nations. The General Assembly, therefore, affirms that genocide is a crime under international law whether the crime is committed on religious...
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...On April 1994, Rwanda suffered from genocide and it was lasted for 100 days. It was a conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic group. It was primarily carried out by “Hutu supremacist militia groups, co-perpetrated by the state government of Rwanda, the Rwandan Army, and Rwandan civilians in compliance with the “Hutu Power” movement” (World without genocide). Which shows that the Hutu ethnic group name Parmehutu led this social revolution or started genocide which overthrew the Tutsi ruling class which was a minority group. This resulted into “20,000 Tutsis and the exile of another 200,000 to neighboring countries” (World without genocide). As a result the population of the Tutsi group got reduced and in 1985 a political group formed by Tutsi...
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...occurred in the year 1994 in Rwanda (a small, heavily populated country in Africa) between two tribes, the Tutsi and Hutu. Over the course of three months, this genocide took the lives of at least 80,000 innocent Tutsi`s by hacking them to death with machetes. Genocide is an unnecessary act of war that has the potential to wipe out large quantities of innocent people, with no real reason to benefit society. Author Michael Norfolk believes that it is necessary in order for us to reach Utopia for blood to be shed. According to Norfolk, genocide is “ancient”, comparing the amount of tribes that have been exterminated to the list of animal and plant species that we have...
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...It is no secret that Rwandans have had their share of pain. In 1994, Rwanda had five seasons unlike the rest of the world. For one hundred days, Rwanda was going through the killing season. A season of killing, how is that acceptable? Located in central Africa, Rwanda has a population of 12 million citizens. Written by one of many forgotten Rwandans “I cry for being part of a very cruel world. A world where people love the blood of innocents more than milk. A world where nobody seems to care. I cry for the lives of the innocent people that were slaughtered like animals (AFRICAW, 2016).” Plagued by genocide, poverty and health issues, the only hope for Rwanda is for a united stand of its people demanding education and their fundamental rights...
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...The failure of the United States to intervene at the onset of genocide was due to many reasons. First, the U.S. lobbied the U.N. for a total withdrawal of U.N. (UNAMIR) forces in Rwanda in April 1994, also Secretary of State Warren Christopher did not authorize officials to use the term "genocide" until May 21, and even then, U.S. officials waited another three weeks before using the term in public. The Bureaucratic infighting slowed the U.S. response to the genocide in general as The U.S. refused to jam extremist radio broadcasts inciting the killing, citing costs and concern with international law. However, U.S. officials knew exactly who was leading the genocide, and actually spoke with those leaders to urge an end to the violence but did...
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...The Rwandan genocide seems to be the forgotten civil war that the world does not talk about. The conflict between the Tutsis and Hutus dates back centuries and has escalated until it reached a boiling point in 1994 when the hundred-day genocide was planned and executed by the Hutus onto the Tutsis. It was an utter disregard for human right by the world when no one responded to this atrocity and even abandon and proposals to assist. On December 10th, 1945 the United Nations (UN) approved the Universal Declaration of Human Right (UDHR) following the atrocities of World War II. The UDHR was to ensure that such atrocities would never happen again, and just a short forty-nine years later the UN pulls peacekeepers out of Rwanda because of the genocide that was in direct violation of...
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...The consequences of the atrocities on neighbouring states is a significant, yet often ignored, aspect of the post-genocide recovery. In the days following the end of the Genocide, two million refugees fled Rwanda into neighbouring countries, which is believed to be the fastest migration in history. As a result, refugee camps formed in neighbouring countries, the most notable of which were those in Zaire (present day DRC). The nature of Operation Turquoise meant that the Hutu Elite were able to escape alongside these fleeing civilians and seize control of these refugee camps, allowing them to monopolise aid and turn refugees who wanted to return to Rwanda into “quasi-hostages”. These camps also placed the refugees in “squalid” conditions,...
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...“Genocide is a special case of murder. It is as old as mankind itself,” said Edward Nyankanzi in his book about Rwanda. The Rwandan Genocide started in April 6, 1994 when the Hutu group began to kill harmless Tutsi men, women and children with machetes, pickaxes, etc. It ended July 15, 1994 when the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) defeated the Hutu army, and President Paul Kagame took control. After the Genocide the new government made a policy of unity and reconciliation. (Nyankanzi, 1998) There were many events leading up to the genocide. Including, Identification cards, the signing of the Arusha Peace Accords, and President Habyarimana’s plane being shot down shot down. In the Rwandan Genocide there were many things leading up to the genocide, but it had to start somewhere. The Hutus and the Tutsis have always had some tension in the past, but the Europeans just made it worse. It began when the Belgians made everyone identification cards which...
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...result of a series of built up incidents and a single action taken place can cause immense devastation, yet reversible. Genocide is officially defined by the United Nations as committing an act with the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group...” the Rwandan Genocide exemplifies this perfectly. The tension between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis who are the two most common ethnic groups in Rwanda derived from the German and Belgian colonization. After colonization, the two groups were divided, and the Tutsis obtained more power. More importantly, the Hutus gained political influence and they felt Tutsis had wronged them for centuries....
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...Rwandan Genocide I. Background of the Case Though there is a stunning progress in the present Republic of Rwanda which is located in African continent surrounded by Uganda, Tanzania, Zaire and Burundi, the bloody rampage happened during the mid-1990s will never be effaced with the passage of time. The two well-known races – the Tutsi which is only 14% and the Hutu which made up of 85% of the total population – have seethed with hatred towards one another since ancient past. The tension hit the boiling point when Belgium came to colonize the country after Germany in the Post-World War I. Since Tutsis were given advantages over Hutus, several revolts and conflicts continuously happened in the country. The tension has even been aggravated when...
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...American Passivity: Rwanda Genocide Genocide is a crime on a different scale to all other crimes against humanity, and it implies an intention to completely exterminate the chosen group; genocide is therefore the greatest of the crimes against humankind. The massacres that transpired in Rwanda less than four years ago possess every quality attributed to the ramifications of genocide. There, in the clearest case of genocide since Hitler, a vast slaughter occurred which claimed the lives of more that 800,000 Rwandans. This genocide is probably the greatest and gravest crime against humanity in the second half of the twentieth-century; and no group whether foreign or indigenous executed enough force to prevent this from occurring. The United States stood by and watched the horrific events unfold. The Clinton administration, facing what was the clearest case of genocide in 50 years, responded by downplaying the crisis diplomatically and impeding effective intervention by U.N. forces to stop the killing. A great crime against humanity did exist through the individual tortures, rapes, and slaughters of the Rwandans; but, hidden in all of the turmoil and rage, was the crime of passivity and evasion in the United States’ response towards all of the crimes and suffering. One million Rwandan civilians were left for dead, but that could have been significantly reduced with the initial intervention and aide of the U.S. government. Rwanda has been subjected to a number of historical...
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...The Rwandan Genocide In April and July of 1994, around “800,000 Tutsi and Moderate Hutus(ethnic groups that lived in Rwanda) were slaughtered” when they tried to rebel against the Hutu extremist-led government. He was trying to murder all the Tutsi minority and willing to kill anyone who stepped in the way. The genocide is one of the worst moments in human history. This genocide went down in history as the quickest killing spree the world has ever seen. The Hutu extremist-let government made a plan to kill and wipe out all the Tutsis in the country. The Hutus blamed the Tutsi people for the country’s increasing social, economic, and political pressures. On October 2, 1990, a civil war broke out between Hutus and Tutsis. The tutsi rebel group, Rwandan Patriotic Front, invaded Rwanda from the north. The main perpetrators were the Hutu extremists....
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