Rwanda: reconciliation Flashcards
What happened in the 1994 genocide?
The Hutu power militias, interahamwe, butchered ~500k-1000k people of the Tutsi tribe. Tutsis had been a minority in the country (15%), but had been seen in the past as superior (more european).
How did a UN report look at the prospects for children after 1994?
It said that 99,9% of the children had witnessed at least one act of brutality during the spring of 1994.
Who was head of the Tutsi army, the RPF?
Paul Kagame. Is is said to have killed 10s of thousands of Hutu’s in return. Kagame was in Museveni’s army when he toppled Idi Amin in Uganda, and failed at school as a kid.
Describe the situation after the genocide for Paul Kagame.
He had ~130,000 people detained that were believed to have played a role in the genocide, but only 13 (full) prisons. Also, the courts were not very effective. He understood that his effort had to both i) create a sense of justice and ii) provide reconciliation.
What was his solution?
He did many things at once. The justice system, gacaca, would be decentralized, with many local ‘courts’. He also provided free education and health care to all, cut red tape for businesses, and required public goal setting by all government officials. The state slogan was ‘we are all Rwandans now’. He also redrew the map a bit to have both groups intermingle.
Describe gacaca
Big gamble taken by Kagame. Local courts with people that were selected by their own groups for being honest, that received 3 days of training. They would finally hear 2 million cases. Focus on truth, justice and reconciliation. Done this way because there was no faith in the absolutist approach to justice.
How is gacaca perceived afterwards?
90% of Rwandans held positive views about the progress made there.
Describe the future of Rwanda?
Paul Kagame is apparently letting it slip, he is going for new elections in 2017 but people abandon him, and appear dead under murky circumstances. Growth has been really good, as have cleanliness, education etc.
