Rwanda Genocide Research Paper

The Hutu, an ethnic majority in the country of Rwanda, murdered more than 800,000 people from April 6, 1994 to July 16, 1994. The people murdered were mostly of the Tutsi minority. This murdering was an act of genocide. Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. After the conflict, two million refugees from Rwanda were displaced. The Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups did not get along. The Tutsis were identified as the superior race by European colonial powers in Rwanda, so they were given more power. The Tutsis were lighter skinned, while the Hutus were darker skinned and “inferior.” This difference in power led the Hutus to massacre many Tutsis. Before the Rwandan genocide …show more content…
On April 6, a plane carrying President Habyarimana and Burundi’s president Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down. Unfortunately, there were no survivors. Some blamed the Hutu extremists and some blamed the RPF. The RPF is the Rwandese Patriotic Front, which gained control through military “offensive” in early July 1994. Soon after the plane crash, Hutu militia groups began slaughtering Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Among these victims were Hutu Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana and 10 Belgian bodyguards. Soon, an interim government of extremist Hutu leaders from the military appeared. This all occurred in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and rapidly spread to the rest of Rwanda. 800,000 people were murdered in a genocide over the next 100 days. During the mass killings, the local government-sponsored radio broadcasts incited Rwandan civilians to murder their neighbors. Also meanwhile, the RPF fought, and civil war was present alongside the genocide. By July, the RPF had gained control of most of Rwanda, causing 2 million people to flee into Zaire (now the DRC). Of these two million, most were Hutus. There were many impacts on the people from the genocide. Civilians felt the feeling of loss, because 800,000 were brutally slaughtered, also depleting the population. Many children were forced to commit violent acts against their will. Children and women, especially Tutsi women, were raped and kept as

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