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Starting in April 1994, in the space of one hundred days, an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate Hutu sympathizers were killed by Hutu extremists in Rwanda. Large-scale massacres took place in churches, hospitals, schools and village streets. In April 2009, organizations in Rwanda and around the world will commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. The official commemoration date is April 7, but there will be events for 100 days to mark the duration of the genocide in 1994. Find out more about organizations working in Rwanda:
Background of the Conflict Between April and June 1994, in the space of one hundred days, an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and politically moderate Hutu sympathizers were killed. The immediate catalyst was the assassination of the Hutu Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose plane was shot down on April 6, 1994 above an airport in Kigali. Almost immediately, violence spread throughout the capital and into the rest of the country, continuing for three months. Two extremist Hutu militia groups, the Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi, were responsible for the majority of the deaths. Both paramilitary groups were backed by the Rwandan government and were trained and equipped by the Rwandan Government Forces. The international community largely ignored the genocide, labeling it an “internal conflict” and thereby discouraging international intervention. UN troops withdrew after the murder of 10 soldiers. During the first days of the genocide, over 2,500 Tutsis sought refuge at the Ecole Technique Officielle (ETO) school in Kigali, where Belgian UN troops were stationed. When the UN withdrew from the school on April 11, 1994 in order to help evacuate Americans and Europeans from Rwanda, members of the Rwandan armed forces and militia killed most of Tutsis who were hiding there, reportedly within hours. The men, women and children who survived the ETO school attack were then walked to a gravel pit near the primary school of Nyanza, where all remaining Tutsis were immediately killed. The genocide came to a close when the Tutsi-dominated rebel movement, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), captured Kigali, overthrowing the Hutu government and seizing power. Leading up to the Genocide Historically, ethnic tensions have existed between the minority Tutsis and the majority Hutus. The two ethnic groups are actually very similar - they speak the same language, inhabit the same areas, and follow the same traditions. Animosity between the groups began to increase substantially in 1916 when Belgian colonists labeled the groups as distinct entities, eventually producing identity cards that classified people according to their ethnicity. In 1962, when Belgium granted Rwanda independence, the majority Hutus took power. Conflict continued between the two groups and thousands of Tutsis fled to neighboring Burundi. It is estimated that by the mid-1960s half of the Tutsi population was living outside Rwanda. A civil war between the groups began on October 2, 1990, when the RPF invaded Rwanda. The civil war officially ended with the signing of the Arusha Accords in August 1993. After the Genocide The Genocide came to an end In July 1994, when the Tutsi RPF overthrew the Hutu government and declared a ceasefire. After the RPF victory, a substantial Hutu population (estimated at two million) fled the country, taking refuge in Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). Many of these refugees have since been accused of involvement in the genocide. UN troops and international aid workers then arrived to help maintain order and restore basic services. A new multi-ethnic government was formed on July 19th, promising all refugees a safe return to Rwanda. Pasteur Bizimungu, a Hutu, was inaugurated as president. Justice has since been sought for those who participated in the killings. A UN International Criminal Tribunal was created to try the cases of the high level members of the government and military. Learn More |
