“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Martin Luther King, Jr

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Genocide In Rwanda

What starts genocide? I have looked at the wars taking place in Africa and have asked why? What would cause people to kill massive amounts of others for what they consider is their right to practice control of a region. I will be writing several posts helping explain what the reason may be behind the senseless slaughter of thousands of innocent people. *This is the first post.


In the early 1990's Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) threatened Rwanda's Hutu regime to such an extent that it retaliated with genocide. Do policymakers appreciate how genocide may stem from the interaction of ethnic groups and the international community? Until that happens there will be very little chance of preventing these tragedies.

In 1994 Rwandas' genocide was a retaliation by the states Hutu regime to a violent challenge from the Tutsi rebels. The Tutsi rebels invaded Uganda in 1990 and fought for over three years to seize effective control of Rwanda. As the war raged on the rebels were warned that there would be a retaliation against Tutsi civilians. It did not matter and the RPF persisted in it's military offensive and demands for political power. The RPF refused to make any compromises with the Hutu government and consequently when the Hutu government was defeated, the Hutu government had already retaliated killing more than thre-quarters of Rwanda's Tutsi population in barely THREE MONTHS. The Tutsi's gained control of a country whose Tutsi population had been devastated.

* Sources- allacademic

4 comments:

Adullamite said...

What causes this?
Human nature!

There is nothing worse. The circumstances may vary, the human nature never does.

Unknown said...

Adullamite, I know that would be a quick and easy response, like "oh well, such is life" I am part of human nature and perhaps because it is not my culture, I could never stand by and watch the killing of my own brethren. I can't say for sure either because I am not in that position. I really believe that to know the cause may stop it in the future. Pipe dream I know.

Niar said...

dear ettarose,
perhaps I believe that Genocide in Rwanda is the biggest genocide in the world, beside in Campuchea by the Pol Pot Regime. I cant understand why man are easy to commit an outrage like that..I also agree with you that It also use to maintain the control or as a instrument of politics. That's why there are a concept that is called complex humanitarian emergency which explain the humanitarian abusive, calamity in a massive scale which is 'deliberately made or man made'.
If you never seen a hotel rwanda movie before, I suggest you to watch it. This movie tells about the genocide event in Rwanda in 1994.
I enjoy to read your blog. keep your attention for people...

Unknown said...

niar, I always enjoy your visits. Let me know if there is anything I should add to my stories.

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