Remembering the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda
This April, we mark 27 years since the start of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda - one of the most notable examples of genocide that has occurred in recent modern history. The genocide lasted for about 100 days, and approximately one million Tutsis – as well as politically moderate Hutu and Twa – men, women and children were murdered. The United Nations (UN) has named April 7 as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda and encourages "all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other relevant international organizations, as well as civil society organizations, to observe the International Day, including special observances and activities in memory of the victims of the genocide in Rwanda."
The Kigali Genocide Memorial Center where remains of over 250,000 genocide victims are interred.
Kigali Genocide Memorial. Photo source: Republic of Rwanda, National Commission for the Fight Against the Genocide
To understand the events that led to the Tutsi genocide, one must first understand the dynamic between the three major ethnic groups in Rwanda the Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa. The Hutu are the largest ethnic group, comprising 84 percent of the Rwandan population, the Tutsi make up 15 percent of the population, and the Twa only account for 1 percent of Rwandans. Originally, all three ethnic groups lived amicably amongst themselves; however, European colonization by the Germans and then by Belgium created a hierarchy, mainly among the Hutu and the Tutsi. The Tutsis were given educational and administrative privileges by the Belgians, allowing them to advance in society while the Hutus were oppressed. The Hutus rebelled in 1959 against Belgium’s colonial rule and the ruling Tutsi elite, which led to Rwanda’s independence in 1962 in which Gregoire Kayibanda, a Hutu, became president. However, the rift between the Hutus and the Tutsis continued.
In 1973, Juvenal Habyarimana, also a Hutu, conducted a coup and took control of Rwanda. At first, Habyarimana pledged the end of the rift between the Hutus and Tutsis. However, once Rwanda started to head towards economic turmoil, Habyarimana used the ethnic tensions to distract the population from the economic issues in Rwanda. This led to the killings of both Hutus and Tutsis and many from both ethnic groups left Rwanda to escape the violence, although when Tutsis wanted to return to Rwanda Habyarimana denied even though they had the right to return according to international law. This course of action led to the creation of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a military movement comprised of mainly Tutsis from Uganda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of the Congo with the goals of returning to Rwanda and reforming the Rwandan government through the creation of power-sharing initiatives. In 1990, civil war broke out between the RPF and the Rwandan Armed Forces (the Rwandan government). Additionally, the Rwandan Armed Forces began to train and arm civilians who became known as the Interahamwe.
Throughout the civil war, the Rwandan government orchestrated propaganda predominantly through radio that portrayed all Tutsis and Hutus who were members of opposition parties as accomplices of the RPF and traitors which added to the conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis. In 1993, the international community became involved in the conflict. The United Nations Security Council established the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) with the goal of providing peacekeeping forces, humanitarian assistance, and support to facilitate the peacekeeping process. This peacekeeping force did not last long. It was later learned that there was a plan by the extremists Hutus to eliminate all the Tutsis and moderate Hutus. In April 1994, President Habyarimana and the President of Burundi were killed in a plane crash caused by a missile attack. This event was the catalyst for what is now known as the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
After the plane crash, moderate Hutu Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana was killed by extremist Hutus as well as 10 Belgium peacekeeping UN forces. This prompted the UN to pull out all non-Rwandans from the country as well as a majority of their peacekeeping forces. The number of UNAMIR forces reduced from 2,165 to 270. Without the presence of the UN, Hutu extremist militias such as the Interahamwe and the Rwandan Armed Forces begin the massacre of Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Over the course of 100 days, approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed with millions of others fleeing to refugee camps in surrounding countries. By July 1994, the RPF captured the capital of Rwanda Kigali, and gained control of the Rwandan government putting an end to the civil war and the genocide. Paul Kagame, the leader of the RPF became the President of Rwanda and continues to be president until today.
Today, nearly 30 years since the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Rwanda continues to make strides to rebuild and remember the events of the genocide that took hundreds of thousands of lives.
Thank you to International Program Intern Ruth Elendu and US Together Rwanda partner Alexandre Marara for their work on this article.