Rwanda Genocide Rolando Torres 1-2A 5/19/15 Who was Involved? There was two major ethnic groups in Rwanda.
They were the Hutus and the Tutsis. A third group called the Twa, consisted ofless than 1 percent of the population. Relations between these two groupseventually led to mass killings. It is estimated that some 200,000 Hutuparticipated in the genocide Some were unwilling and consequentlyforced to participate by the army andHutu militia groups. What Occurred? One of the worst incidents ofgenocide in history occurred. Hutu extremist killed almost amillion Tutsis and moderateHutus. This genocide may have lasted awhile, but 2,000,000 Rwandanswere able to flee the country. When did it Happen? The Rwandan genocide began on April 6 and ended on July of 1994. The mass murder lasted for about 100 days. July 18 is one of the days cited as the ending of the genocide. July 19 was another. Where? The mass killings occurred in an area that is known as Rwanda.
It was initially settled by the Twa, and followed by the Hutu, and then bythe Tutsi. Rwanda is located South of the equator in east-central Africa. The capital of Rwanda is Kigali, which is where the plane was shot down. Why did the genocide occur?
A plane with Habyarimana(President) andBurundian President Crprien Ntaryamira wasshot down over Kigali. Everyone on board was killed. Even though the people or group who caused theplane to go down were never found, the Hutuextremist were thought to be responsible of thecrime. (A report issued by the Rwandan FPR(FrontPatriotique Rwandis) -led government in indicated that Hutu extremists wereresponsible.) BEFORE Why did the genocide occur?
Organized killings of Tutsis and moderate Hutus began that night by the Hutuextremist. Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyima, who was a moderate Hutu, wasassassinated. 10 Belgium soldiers from the UN who were guarding her were also killed. The few months later mass killings began to happen. After Differences between Tutsis and Hutus
Tutsis made their living by owning anddealing with cattle. The Tutsis obtained dominance overthe Hutus through a slow and peacefulinfiltration. Hutu life centered on a small-scaleagriculture, and social organization wasbased on the clan, with kings rulingover limited domains. PrimarilyAgriculturalist Hutus began to expel most Tutsis aftertaking over the government. Differences between Tutsis and Hutus
The Hutu, traditionally farmers The Tutsi, traditionally cattle-owning pastoralists Twa, are hunters and potters Tutsi were generally light-skinned and tall, the Hutuwere dark-skinned and short It was not always easy to tell the differencebetween the two groups because of theintermarriage and the common language by bothgroups. Relation to the Holocaust
This genocide in Rwanda is similar to the Holocaust because it involved the killing of largeamounts of people. During the Holocaust Nazis began to kill and exterminate all Jews that were found. Aboutsix million Jewish men, women, and children were killed. In Rwanda 800,000 civilians, primarily Tutsi were killed. Both the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide involved the killing of a group of people. When the genocide ended, the country ofRwanda faced years of recovery.
The primary focus was to find those responsiblefor the genocidal acts. Promoting national unity and rebuilding thecountrys economy was another focus. Recovery was not easy since the President andVice-President was shot and a new one wasneeded. The FPR were successful in securing most of thecountry by early July, taking Kigali on July 4.Extremist Hutu leaders, including those of theinterim government, fled the country. Aftermath What I learned Genocide should be taken seriously.
Trying to stop a genocide shouldbe the primary focus. Other countrys could have helpedwith this but instead they ignoredit. Innocent people were being killedand no one was there trying tostop it. Bibliography Information Pictures
"Rwanda genocide of 1994." Britannica School. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., Web. 19 May . "Rwanda." Britannica School. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., Web. 19 May . "Tutsi." Britannica School. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., Web. 19 May . "Rwanda." Britannica School. Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc., Web. 19 May . Pictures Map of Rwanda. Digital image. Ebsco. N.p., n.d. Web. . Chacon, Scott. "Ntarama Genocide Memorial." Britannica School. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May . "Rwanda Genocide of 1994: Genocide Suspect Standing Trial." Britannica School. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May . "Finding Zaid." Finding Zaid. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May . "Preparing for Genocide." Leading up to the Genocide,speeches Became Increasingly Fanatical. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May .