The rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the tutsi, was a mass slaughter of tutsi, twa, and moderate hutu in rwanda, which took place between 7 april and 15 july 1994 during the rwandan civil war in 1990, the rwandan patriotic front rpf, a rebel group composed of tutsi refugees, invaded northern rwanda from their base in uganda, initiating the rwandan civil war. In just three months, an estimated 800,000 people were massacred in the rwandan genocide of 1994. A brief history of the country rwandas population of more than 7 million people is divided into three ethnic groups. What were the causes of the armenian genocide, and who led. Jan 27, 20 causes of genocide in 1944 after the second world war a man named raphael lempkin coined the word genocide. Many scholars believe the long lasting ethnic conflict between the hutu and tutsi was the seed to the development of the genocide. A year later, at the height of the rwanda genocide, the lack of media images probably helped the cause of those in washington, london, paris and other. In its motivation and construction, mamdani argues, the rwandan genocide needs to be understood as a natives genocide. The first was the genocide of the native by the settler.
But what is notable about the existing material is how much of it has been produced by nonafricans, let alone by nonrwandans. It lies 75 miles southward of equator, 880 miles west of indian ocean, and 1,250 miles east of atlantic ocean. Introduction this paper aims to discuss and examine the causes of the 1994 rwandan genocide. Main causes of the 1994 rwanda genocide causes of rwanda. Two tribes that made most of the rwandan population are the hutu and the tutsi tribes.
This paper addresses the root causes of the rwandan ethnic conflict from a historical point of view. He claims that histories make men wise, which in the context of the rwandan genocide, seems to mean learning and making an effort to understand. The government forces and presidential guard were fighting refugees that fled rwanda, while the citizens of rwanda were trying to flee. Many of these nationalist movements were supported by major european. A summary of the rwandan genocide polytechnic school. Hintjens abstract any adequate account of the 1994 genocide in rwanda must acknowledge manipulation by external forces, domestic pressures and psychological factors. The rwandan genocide, 1994 the thenpresident of rwanda, juvenal habyarimana, had decided, after long opposition, to comply with the arusha accords and put an end to the crisis and civil war. The rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the tutsi, was a mass slaughter of tutsi, twa, and moderate hutu in rwanda, which took place between 7 april and 15 july 1994 during the rwandan civil war. It is this segregation that leads to a fight for power when a hierarchy becomes destabilized. The civil war began when the armed wing of the rwandan patriotic front rpf invaded from. Mar 07, 2015 introduction this paper aims to discuss and examine the causes of the 1994 rwandan genocide. May 17, 2011 in just three months, an estimated 800,000 people were massacred in the rwandan genocide of 1994. The causes of the rwandan genocide saturday, february 26, 2011. The background and causes of the genocide in rwanda oxford.
This study is significant because it will contribute to the understanding of the real causes of the conflict in order to. Abstract during 100 days in the spring and summer of 1994 in rwanda a planned genocide orchestrated by extreme members of the hutu ethnic group, the ruling faction. The rwandan genocide, a mass slaughter of the tutsi race during the rwandan civil war was conducted by the hutu ethnic group during a 100 day period from april 7th to july 9th 1990. The civil war began when the armed wing of the rwandan patriotic front rpf invaded from uganda in the autumn of 1990. Environmental causes and impacts of the genocide in rwanda. Nov 30, 2010 a new book aims to shed light on the perfect storm that swamped rwanda in 1994, sparking genocide chris arnot tue 30 nov 2010 03. This ideology spurred sporadic killings of the tutsi, pogroms, exiles and. Causes and effects of rwandan genocide, 1994 by devika. In 1994, rwanda, a tiny state in the great lakes region of east africa, erupted in an orgy of mass murder of epic proportion. The genocide also resulted in drastic economic consequences. Just before and during the 1994 genocide, hutu political leaders insisted on the importance of protecting the gains of the revolution, which. Human occupation of rwanda is thought to have begun shortly after the last ice age.
About 70% of the rwandan population was killed after the rpf ended the civil war that was against government forces. From thousands or years ago to present day and on every civilized continent, the eradication of entire groups of people has occurred. The genocide in rwanda, like all genocides, was a complex phenomenon that resulted from a combination of longterm structural factors as well as more. It employs the 1994 rwandan genocide ethnic conflict, as a case study to demonstrate the empirical evidence of deleterious impacts conflict ethnic has on the educational development. The causes and consequences of genocide essay 849 words. Both have also experienced regular, extreme massive violence. Nearly all of these statesponsored mass murders occurred during or shortly after regular civil wars or revolutions. Burundi and rwanda are small east african countries with almost identical economic, social, and political features.
Pdf causes of rwandan genocide and how it could be. They were considered as hutu oppressors who should be gotten rid of definitively. Sample essay on causes and effects of rwandan genocide. Rwandan families were affected by and are still dealing with impacts such as death, disease, disability, poverty, loss of dignity and imprisonment. Starting mostly in the late 19th century, various ethnic groups and regions of the ottoman empire started agitating for independence. Pdf environmental causes and impacts of the genocide in. Causes of the rwandan genocide in april 1994, a terrible time for the country of rwanda only got worse. The genocide of the armenians, the holocaust and the genocide in rwanda are the three genocides of the twentieth century that fit that definition destexhe 1994. View of an open tomb at the rwandan genocide memorial in kigali, rwanda. The president of rwanda at the time, juv enal habyarimana, had decid ed, after long opposition, to comply with the arusha accords and put an end to the crisis and civil war. In history, there has been many acts of genocide in which nations had to determine their level of involvement. Explaining rwandas 1994 genocide university of denver. In this essay, the causes of modern genocide will be investigated using these three genocides as case studies. The causes of the rwandan genocide were deeply seeded to the collapse and struggle for dominance within a previously established hierarchy.
The 1994 rwanda genocide was the result of an economic crisis, civil war, population growth and a struggle for state power. It was a genocide by those who saw themselves as sons and daughters of the soil, and their mission as one of clearing the soil of a threatening alien presence. Causes and consequences of the rwandan conflict politics essay. The genocide was conceived by extremist elements of rwandas majority hutu population who planned to kill the minority tutsi population and anyone who opposed those. Origins, causes, implementation, consequences, and the post genocide era donatien nikuze research and documentation center on genocide, national commission for the fight against genocid, republic of rwanda abstract.
By the 16th century, the inhabitants had organized into a number of kingdoms. Among the more proximate causes of the mass murders in rwanda were. In 1994, rwanda erupted into one of the most appalling cases of mass murder the world had witnessed since the second world war. The infamous rwandan genocide was triggered by the tensions between the hutus and tutsis. Background and causes of the genocide in rwanda journal of. In 2007, the rwandan government abolished the death penalty, which had last been carried out in 1998 when 22 people convicted of genociderelated crimes were executed. Analyze the causes of the rwandan genocide the writepass. History causes of rwandan genocide flashcards quizlet. The purpose of this paper is to identify the historic and political causes for the rwandan genocide through an ethnic lens in order to determine whether ethnic division was really the cause for the atrocities or was rather just a dimension of. In the late twentieth and early twentyfirst centuries, the gravest violations of human rights generate intense international concern even in small landlocked countries in. Post 1 the genocide in rwanda took place over the course of 100 days, beginning in april 1994, and is known as one of the most brutal acts of murder ever committed.
Answer 1 there were 2 groups of people in rwanda the tutsis and the hutus. When the belgians arrived, they thought that the country needed a leading group, so they put the tutsis in charge. A summary of the rwandan genocide the genocide on 6 april 1994, the deaths of the presidents of burundi and rwanda in a place crash caused by a rocket attack, ignited several weeks of intense and systematic massacres. Causes of rwandan genocide high quality essay examples and. That alone says something about changing international norms. This paper uses a geographical perspective, more specifically the geography of conflict, to assess the environmental causes and impacts of the genocide in rwanda, more than a decade after the genocide. Genocide is the killing of a group of people with the intent to destroy, and even though the word genocide wasnt around until 1944 doesnt mean that genocide wasnt around. The death toll for this genocide ranged from about 500,000 people to a 1,000,000. Caricatured this way, and the fact that conflict, of which genocide is but an extreme manifestation, is nothing but competition by groups over incompatible goals, then one can easily visualize how the rwandan genocide was determined by cultural perceptions. Even so, the nature of the rwandan state must be seen as absolutely central. Causes and effects of the genocide all genocides usually start when people of one race or religion want to dispose of people of another race or religion.
The international panel of eminent personalities to investigate the 1994 genocide in rwanda and the surrounding events was created by the. Causes of rwandan genocide high quality essay examples. In the 19th century, mwami rwabugiri of the kingdom of rwanda conducted a decadeslong process of military conquest and administrative consolidation that resulted in the kingdom coming to control most of what is now rwanda. When the hutus discovered their reign had ended they feared tutsi backlash and about 2 million. Origins, causes, implementation, consequences, and the postgenocide era donatien nikuze research and documentation center on genocide, national commission for the fight against genocid, republic of rwanda abstract.
Dec 06, 2012 one of the main causes of the genocide in rwanda can be traced back to the period of colonial rule over rwanda, where numerous policies of the imperialists left the rwandan society divided with tensions searing among its population during and after this colonial period. The roots of ethnic conflicts often find themselves tied to arbitrary guidelines of division between groups. The ho rror of colonialism led to two types of genocidal impulses. Jan 12, 2018 the rwandan genocide resulted from the conflict between the hutus and the tutsis. Rwanda is a landlocked country in central africa heart of africa, country is also known as land of thousand hills with land area of 26,338km 2. It was a genocide by those who saw themselves as sons and daughters of the soil, and their mission as one of clearing the soil of a. Main causes of the 1994 rwanda genocide explore rwanda tours. It is estimated that some 200,000 hutu, spurred on by propaganda from. The rwandan genocide was a worldhistorical event that happened in a country with a tiny international presence. The digest focuses on case law regarding genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, individual responsibility. During the rwandan genocide of 1994, members of the hutu ethnic majority in the eastcentral african nation of rwanda murdered as many as 800,000 people. Causes of rwandan genocide essay sample in 1994, rwanda, a tiny state in the great lakes region of east africa, erupted in an orgy of mass murder of epic proportion. In this paper i will investigate the true motivation of the 1994 rwandan genocide as more than just social divide and ethnic hatred between the hutu and the tutsi. In 2007, the rwandan government abolished the death penalty, which had last been carried out in 1998 when 22 people convicted of genocide related crimes were executed.
There are no noticeable differences between the two communities as they both use the same bantu. In april 1994, a terrible time for the country of rwanda only got worse. The genocide in rwanda, like all genocides, was a complex phenomenon that resulted from a combination of longterm structural factors as well as more immediate decisions taken by powerful actors. The effect on their social and political roles lisa a.
Moral obligations and the loss of innocent lives should be a driving factor for outside nations to put an. Rwanda is an african country that comprises of three ethnic communities. Sep 01, 2005 among the more proximate causes of the mass murders in rwanda were. The fighting caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Background and causes of the genocide in rwanda journal. The genocide in rwanda took place over the course of 100 days, beginning in april 1994, and is known as one of the most brutal acts of murder ever committed. Rwandan genocide perpetrator, interviewed by straus 2007 as many as 22 million noncombatants have been killed in nearly fty genocides and politicides since 1945 har. This ideologically driven genocide is a clear example of state sponsored massmurder. The country was ravaged by civil war, genocide, mass migrations, economic crisis, diseases, return of refugees and environmental destruction. Yet the processes leading to violence and the nature of the violence genocide in rwanda and civil war in. Rwanda genocide of 1994, planned campaign of mass murder in rwanda that occurred over the course of some 100 days in apriljuly 1994. What was the cause of the genocide in rwanda answers. Causes and effects of the genocide the rwandan genocide.
The killings as many as 1 million people are estimated to have perished shocked the international community. The causes and consequences of genocide essay 849 words cram. Cause and effects of the rwandan genocide, 1994 in august of 1994 the tutsi rpf group lead by kagame retook the capital and soon after, the rest of the country, ending the genocide. An estimated one million, or possibly more, men women and children were brutally slaughtered. A new book aims to shed light on the perfect storm that swamped rwanda in 1994, sparking genocide chris arnot tue 30 nov 2010 03. Rwanda and rwandan citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations.
Zaire and in a belated attempt to redress past injustices the colonial. Regarding crimes against humanity, all nations around the world should get involved. Essay the causes and consequences of the rwandan genocide in of studies, francis bacon explores the benefits and consequences associated with studies and to what degree they should be used. Rwandan genocide needs to be thought of within the logic of colonialism. Genocide is an action that is not unique to any one set of specific circumstances. Causes and effects of rwandan genocide can be understood properly by understanding the background of this country first. The hutu who are of bantu origin comprises of the largest ethnic group making 84 percent of the population of rwanda.
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