Looking Back at History: The Rwandan Genocide

So of course as always my interest in a topic is usually inspired from a good movie... This recent interest in the historical affairs of Rwanda comes from the 2005 film Hotel Rwanda starring Don Cheadle. Although I'd seen it before, I hadn't put much attention into it, until this recent second viewing. The movie tells of the true account of a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina, who saved over 1200 refugees during the Rwandan Genocide. During the powerful film I was amazed at the mere fact that this historical event happened only 15 years ago, whilst I was alive, and I hardly know anything about it. What are the Hutus and the Tutsis? What caused this great political tension? And why did the United States, the United Nations, and the world governments hardly do a thing about it....

The Origins of the Hutu and Tutsi

So my biggest question is what exactly determines a Hutu from a Tutsi? Is it a difference of religion, similar to the Sunni's and Shiites? Is it a political difference, similar to the Democrats and Republicans. Or is it an ethnic difference, similar to blacks and whites... However there's the obvious fact that both Hutu and Tutsi are the same color, and hardly have any significant ethnic or cultural difference whatsoever! Some claim that there are slight differences in height, nose, or skin color yet this seems very difficult to distinguish. Therefore the only real identifiable difference between the Hutu and Tutsi is social class. The Hutu are the majority race of Rwanda, while the Tutsi are considered as the foreign minority race. However it wasn't always this was, and history has a lot to say in the breakup of these two so called races...

German Influence

So when did the separation actually begin? When did one person become identified as either a Hutu or a Tutsi? Similar to most African nations, Rwanda was a colony of many various tribes, until the mid 1800s when Europeans began to explore the territory. It was the Germans who first influenced Rwanda, by taking favor with the Tutsi, who they believed were more honorable, eloquent, and willing to convert to Catholicism. As the years went on, the Tutsi organized and established an economy and a government of Rwanda, with the guidance of the Germans. Yet soon it became clear to all Rwandans that their economy was simply a means to make Germany stronger. Soon the Hutu began to understand their exploitation and began to shift their ideals from the Tutsi's European ideals.

The Belgians Take Over

Following Germany's defeat after WWI, the Belgian government took over the Rwandan colony. Similar to the Germans, the Belgians put their favor with the Tutsi people, and intended to make the colony much more prosperous. They improved Rwanda's education and agriculture system, however also established harsh labor policies such as whipping. Political tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi, grew due to the Belgian's influence. The Belgian government felt the Tutsi had white heritage and were thus superior to the Hutu. In 1931, the Belgians established this ethnic identity by having each Rwandan carry an identity card. Many Rwandans migrated to Uganda to escape the strict policies of the Belgian government.

At the end of WWII, Rwanda became identified as a UN territory, yet still under the control of Belgium. Yet by the 1950s and 1960s, a wave of Pan-Africianism began to spread throughout Africa, which inspired many Rwandan leaders to establish their own independent country. Yet as the Tutsi elite tried to unite the people, the Hutu began to organize into their own political party, opposing the Tutsi. It was Gregoire Kayibanda that led this Hutu emancipation movement, with his Hutu Manifesto, and a militarized political party. In November of 1959, the Tutsis tried to assassinate Hutu leader Kayibanda, and other prominent Hutu politicians. This led to a violent retaliation from the Hutu known as the "Wind of Destruction". Hutus killed an estimated 20,000-100,000 Tutsis... Belgian officials quickly arrived to control the situation. This event marked a major change in political life in Rwanda. The Hutu began to take control and power of the government.

Independent Rwanda

Hutu leader, Gregoire Kayibanda, became Rwanda's first elected president in 1961. As the Hutus began to increase their power and position within Rwanda, the Tutsi began to immigrate to other neighboring countries, such as Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi, yet there were still many Tutsi people that intended to win back the Rwandan government. Kayibanda put forth strict regulations on the ethnicity barriers. He made sure there were no mixed marriages, and executed any Tutsi involved in political opposition. The Tutsi became the new racial minority, referred to as "cockroaches" trying to infiltrate the Hutu government of Rwanda.

On July 5, 1973 the Hutu defense minister General Juvenal Habyarimana overthrew president Gregoire Kayibanda, claiming that his policies were ineffective, and installed his own Hutu political party into government. Kayibanda established somewhat of a dictatorship; a one-party system with national interests, and heavy military rule,... He continued to further the Hutus position by forcing Tutsis to resign from prominent professions, such as medicine and education. He also had many Tutsis exiled or executed.

Yet while the Hutus began to prosper in Rwanda, the Tutsis began to challenge the government of Burundi, a small neighboring country. In 1965 the Tutsi armies led a coup against the Hutu government, and nearly all Hutu politicians were killed. A Tutsi military dictatorship was established which led to the Burundi Genocide, where nearly 200,000 Hutus were killed. With Burundi under the control of the Tutsis and Rwanda under the control of the Hutus, tension grew greater than ever as both sides prepared for war.

The Rwandan Civil War

In 1987, Tutsi refugees in Uganda began to form the Rwandan Patriotic Front. They were led by an experienced soldier of the Ugandan Bush War, Paul Kagame. On October 1st, 1990 the RPF invaded Rwanda, to bring the Tutsis back to power. This civil war lasted for three years, and was mostly a guerrilla war. On August of 1993, the National Hutu government of Rwanda signed a cease-fire with the Tutsi rebels, known as the Arusha Accords, to share the government. Yet ethnic tensions continued to increase, following an outbreak of civil war in Burundi, that spilled into Rwanda. The United Nations was sent in to try and neutralize the situation, however were unsuccessful and with so much years of tension, genocide was inevitable for the Rwandan people.

The Rwandan Genocide

With so much tension, all the Hutu needed were a reason to freely open-fire on Tutsi civilians. They finally got that reason when their president, Habyarimana, was killed in a plane-crash, of which they quickly blamed on the Tutsis. The genocide was thus quickly coordinated by Hutu militants known as the Interhamwe and the Impuzamugambi, through radio communications... On April 6th of 1994 these Hutu militia groups began rounding up and killing Tutsi citizens in masses. Even ordinary Hutu citizens were called on to execute their neighbor Tutsi. The mass murder of Tutsis quickly spread throughout the country and by the end of July nearly one million innocent Tutsi people were killed.

Upon hearing of this genocide, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, led by Paul Kagame, once again continued their offensive against the Rwandan Hutu government. The war was primarily waged against the Hutu militants conducting the massacres. By June of 1994, the Tutsi rebel army, had soon occupied the capital of Kigali, as well as parts in the north, east, and south. The Hutu National Army called for foreign support, yet were unaided. By August the Tutsi RPF, had defeated the Hutu Regime and brought an end to the genocide. Paul Kagame formed a government of national unity headed by a Hutu president, while he became the Vice President and Defense Minister. The served as the ultimate symbol of Hutu and Tutsi unity. However with the fall of their regime, nearly 2 million Hutus fled the country of Rwanda to neighboring countries in order to escape retribution. Paul Kagame assumed office in 2000, and is to this day the current president of Rwanda. He has done a great job in building Rwanda's infrastructure, free of corruption, yet most importantly free of ethnic persecution.

The International Role..?

So I've often heard this question come into play, why didn't the United States get involved? We had been quick to entangle ourselves in Korea's business, in Vietnam's business, and even in Iraq's business, so why not Rwanda? The Clinton-era was booming, the economy was booming, and we certainly didn't have any other major problems in that time. So why not entangle ourselves in Rwanda's affairs... My honest and frank opinion, is that our government felt that there was simply nothing to gain in the crisis... This viewpoint was shared by many other similar established nations, who obviously condemned the crisis, yet felt the situation was not their concern. The United Nations tried to send in "peacekeepers", yet they were not well-equipped, and simply way over their heads... The French took one of the most active roles in the crisis, through Operation Turquoise, to create a safe-zone for the refugees. However this operation has been the victim of extreme controversy. There have been accusations that the Operation, accomplished absolutely nothing, and simply hindered the RPF's mission.

The International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda

So after one of history's most bloodiest genocides, right behind the Holocaust, the international world felt it was time to place the blame on somebody. At the end of 1996, the government began it's genocide trials, with the involvement of the United Nations. In 2001, They established the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda to handle the extreme case. However ever since it's establishment, the tribunal has only sentenced 20 people, and many of the wanted criminals are still at large. Unlike Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, or Stalin there is not an ultimate leader to blame for this tragedy. It was sadly the outcome of years and years of ethnic tension and extreme hatred.