Rwanda Flashcards
What were the first 2 of the 4 main political forces in Rwanda?
- Hutu moderates: mainstream opposition that had some support in the army
- Hutu hardliners: representatives of the ruling party and had allies in military and media
What were the last 2 of the 4 main political forces in Rwanda?
- Tutsi rebels: Rwandan Patriotic Front
4. International actors: 2500 UN peacekeepers and diplomatic corps
What were the positions of the political forces?
Hutu moderates and international actors supported peace/compromise
Hutu hardliners and Tutsi rebels covertly prepared for war e.g. blocking a new government and creating propaganda
What is the current consensus?
Uses Hutu hardliners behaviour as evidence for a plan to commit genocide
How does Straus argue that Hutu hardliners weren’t entirely to blame?
Their power was being eroded by moderates occupying key offices and new scrutiny from international actors
What evidence is used to argue their was a Hutu plan for genocide?
Statements made by Hutu hardliners e.g. Rwandan army chief arguing that Tutsi rebels were preparing and the only way that peace could be secured was through their elimination
How does Straus interpret the evidence for a Hutu plan for genocide?
Only uses it to argue for a frame of mind that could lead to a genocide and not meticulous nationwide planning
What evidence does Straus use to argue that an environment in which genocide could happen was being created?
Hardliners found themselves with incomplete control over a country they used to dominate - so they invested in institutions they could control e.g. militias and pursued extreme tactics e.g. assassination
What does the Hutu hardliners actions reveal?
Deeply distrustful contingency planning for war
What happened on the 6th of April 1994?
President Habyarimana was assassinated along with several prominent Hutu hardliners
What are the theories as to who killed Habyarimana?
- Hutu hardliners who went onto take over the government and orchestrate the genocide
- Tutsi rebels who launched an offensive and eventually won the war
What is the thinking behind the theory that Hutu hardliners killed Habyarimana?
Angry over the fact he gave concession to the Tutsi rebels and planned to share power with them - sacrificed him to finally remove the Tutsi threat
What are the key downsides of the theory that the Hutu hardliners killed Habyarimana?
It was a blow to them as may key hardliners who would’ve gone onto plan the genocide were killed
No solid evidence has been found to prove it was them
What is the thinking behind the theory that the Tutsi rebels killed Habyarimana?
They would’ve desired a clean victory rather than a negotiated political settlement
What evidence backs up the claim that Tutsi rebels killed Habyarimana?
French magistrate enquiry concluded it was them
Several former embers blame the leadership e.g. Paul Kagame for ordering it
What is the main problem with the theory that Tutsi rebels killed Habyarimana?
The assassination caused the genocide against them
What happened after the assassination of Habyarimana?
Initial gap in authority that Hutu moderates and hardliners competed to fill - hardliners eventually won by sing their militias (which they had been investing in) to remove moderate army officers and remove international actors as well as enticing rebels into combat
What does Straus define the genocide as?
A systematic and coordinated attempt to physically eliminate the entire Tutsi population of Rwanda
How did Hutu hardliners attempt to justify the genocide?
Argued the Tutsi wanted to reinstate the former feudal monarch and as a result Hutus had to ban together to defeat their common enemy
How many Hutus were killed and why?
Estimated 10,000
Refusing to participate in the violence
What forms of violence were imposed on the Tutsi’s?
Sexual violence - estimated 250,000 rapes - shows its important nature within the genocide
Looting
How can a researcher ascertain whether violence is genocide or not?
By investigating the number of women and children who were killed as they wouldn’t have been combatants in a war
Did Hutus begin committing genocide at the same time?
No - some days after Habyarimana’s assassination and others a significant amount of time after
What is the significance of the genocide not occurring everywhere at the same time?
Hutu response to hardliners wasn’t monolithic and in many places violence was resisted
What are the causal relationships that Straus found?
In areas where the Tutsi rebels were supported or in areas which were close to rebel bases the genocide was more intense
What causal relationships did Straus disprove?
Deprivation, educational levels, land shortage or proximity to the capital
