ADVOCACY
THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE
100 DAYS OF SLAUGHTER
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Reported by : Ebony Murrell
In 1994 , 800,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsi tribe members , moderate Hutus , and political opponents in Rwanda were systematically slaughtered in a carefully organized program of genocide that lasted for 100 days , making it one of the quickest killing sprees history has ever seen ( End Genocide ).
" Genocide is defined as the acts committed with the intent to destroy , in whole or in part , a national , ethnic , racial , or religious group ."
The History of Hutus and Tutsis
Rwanda is made of three main ethnic groups : Hutu ( 75 %), Tutsi ( 20 %), and Twa ( 5 %). Around 1000 A . D ., most of the Rwandan population belonged to the Hutus who were traditionally crop-growers . During the 14th and 15th centuries , Tutsi ( traditionally herdsman ) began a migration to Rwanda , from Northern Africa . For centuries the two groups shared the business of farming and agriculture , along with language , culture , and nationality . By the 18th century , Tutsi ruled most of Rwanda and was headed by a Tutsi King .
In 1919 , after World War I , European colonists moved in and made Rwanda part of the Belgian League of Nations . The Belgians introduced a system of racial classism that created social instability and resentment from the Hutu people . Believing Tutsis ( a myth ) of having Caucasian ancestry - being naturally taller , lighter-skinned , and having larger skulls - to be far superior to Hutus and gave them political power and privileged sta-
Rwandan boy covers his face from the stench of dead bodies on July 19 , 1994 . Source : Creo Fire / Photo : Baltimore Sun
tus . However , in 1959 , at the end of colonial rule , Belgium gave the majority rule to the Hutus . As the Hutus gained more leverage , they overthrew the Tutsi monarchy and drove out tens of thousands of Tutsis to neighboring countries .
1n 1990 , a group of Tutsi exiles formed a rebel group , the Rwandan Patriotic Front ( RPF ), which invaded Rwanda and gained ground against Hutu government forces . In 1993 , Tanzania brokered peace talks , which resulted in an agreement known as the Arusha Accords . Under this peace treaty , the Rwandan government agreed to share power with Hutu and Tutsi . But Hutu extremists rejected the terms .
Genocide Begins
On the night of April 6th , 1994 , a plane carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana of Burundi ( a Hutu ), was shot down , killing everyone aboard .
In an already volatile climate , the president ' s death provided a spark for an organized campaign of violence against Tutsis across the country . In a matter of hours , Hutu militiamen took over the streets and surrounded the capital in Kigali . Within a day Hutu gunmen in the Presidential Guard systematically tracked down
ISSUE 04 | WINTER 2017