The Genocide

Question 1

Who performed the genocide against who?

Answer 1

Hutu majority against Tutsi minority

Question 2

How many people were killed during the Rwandan Genocide?

Answer 2

between 500,000-1,000,000; 70% of Tutsi population

Question 3

How many Rwandans were displaced during the Rwandan Genocide

Answer 3

c2,000,000

Question 4

What is the colonial history of Rwanda

Answer 4

Germany from 1897 (Berlin conference 1884) to 1916

Belgium from 1926 to 1962

Question 5

How is it the case that most murders in the genocide were perpetrated by civilians

Answer 5

The Akuza and hutu power movements and later the crisis committee used propaganda to spread a message of hate and violence to ordinary people who turned on their own family, friends, neighbours.

They also created a structural system of communication and arms that allowed for the genocide to be enacted quickly - emergency like situation

Adler et al (2008) presents information that, they did this because:

1) defending home and nation - they feared the tutsi’s would enslave them (propaganda) - also alot of anger and hatred esp as revenge for Habinyamara who was a father figure
2) fear of governing authorities - if you were percieved as a moderate you would be considered a traitor and killed
3) Greed, theft, looting
4) feeling overpowered, confused - SHOCK! CHAOS! CONFUSION!
5) manhood and adulthood

Prunier (1999):

1) tutsi = dangerous enemies
2) culture of unbending obedience to authority
3) duress factor - if you refused to kill, you would be killed

Dallaire (2004): Failure of humanity

Question 6

How did people know you were Tutsi

Answer 6

ID cards/ common knowledge

Question 7

How were attacks carried out

Answer 7

machetes, AK47s (armed by Hutu power in prepartation), rapes

Question 8

what methods did the RPF use as they tried to stop Hutu killings of the Tutsi

Answer 8

RPF soldiers killed many people, although the nature and causes of these atrocities is a matter of dispute. According to one view, which is supported by the post-genocide regime, killings by RPF soldiers were perpetrated by undisciplined recruits seeking revenge. Furthermore, all such transgressions were promptly punished.Another view, maintained by critics of the regime, is that RPF committed atrocities in a systematic fashion which were directed by officers with a high level of authority, possibly implicating Paul Kagame himself;crimes which should have been prosecuted by the ICTR. Some of those critics argue that these killings amounted to genocideunder international law.

Question 9

what did the UN contribute during the genocide?

Answer 9

They did very little:

• Throughout April, there were numerous attempts by UNAMIR to establish a ceasefire with RPF, but Kagame insisted each time that the RPF would not stop fighting unless the killings stopped
• UNAMIR did not have a mandate to engage in combat peace-keeping not peace-making but this meant the genocide went unopposed
• On 23 June, around 2,500 soldiers entered southwestern Rwanda as part of the French-led United NationsOpération Turquoise. Who were a UN-mandated mission to create safe humanitarian areas fordisplaced persons,refugees, and civilians in danger. they were not able to save significant numbers of lives (c15,000).

Dallaire (2004):

• The US and the UK sabotaged any support (which was already minimal) sent to Rwanda e.g. vehicles arrived stripped of guns , radios, tools and rusting
• They both initially asked for money in exchange for this support
• Dallaire asked the US to stop RTLM from broadcasting using their specialised equipment - they refused - it was ‘too expensive’.
• “I couldn’t help but feel that we were a sort of diversion… that permitted statesmen to say that the world was doing something to stop the killing…”
• the UN constantly assessed the situation but offered little actual help.

The security council argued that “African security should be solved by African troops” but really they just didn’t care about issues that didn’t affect them.

Question 10

Detail French involvement in the Genocide

Answer 10

Callamard (1999):

• there was a strong personal relationship between Habinyamara and the French President Mitterand
• might have been secret arms deals
• we know that French gave weapons and trainings in the name of “civil defence” against the RPF (whilst simultaneously professing . to support the peace process). These weapons and training were used in the genocide
• France also gave diplomatic support to Rwanda during the peace negotiations.
• during the genocide the french evacuated expats and senior Rwandan officials such as Agathe habinyamara who had actually helped orchestrate the genocide.
• The French troops refused to help the Tutsi’s who were slaughtered in front of them - they were ambivelent to Rwandan deaths.