The Rwandan Genocide
Daniela Aguero & Nnenna Ezera
Rwanda
History/facts:
• 85% of Rwandans are Hutus
but for most of Rwandan
history the country was
dominated by the Tutsi
minority.
• Tutsi in early Rwandan society
were in charge of the cattle
while Hutu tended the land.
• This class distinction was
solidified in the 1930s when
Belgium, which had colonized
Rwanda, issued identity cards
labeling everyone as either
Tutsi, Hutu, or Twa (another
minority in the country).
Rising Tensions
• In 1959, the Hutu majority overthrew the Tutsi minority
• A Tutsi rebel group (Rwandan Patriotic Front a.k.a. RPF)
invaded Rwanda in 1990 until a peace deal was signed in
1993.
• Hutu extremists blamed the whole Tutsi population for the
country’s problems.
The Turning Point
• On April 6, 1994 a plane
with President Juvenal
Habyarimana and
Cyprien Ntaryamira was
shot down. They were
both Hutus so the Hutu
extremists blamed the
RPF.
• The RPF believed that
Hutus shot down the
pane to provide an
excuse for the genocide.
Beginning of the Conflict
• Hutu extremists launched a campaign to eliminate the Tutsi
minority.
• First they killed more moderate political leaders who could
have possibly taken charge to stop the genocide.
• People were identified as Tutsi on their ID cards, so
roadblocks were set up to prevent escape.
Genocide
• April – July 1994
• lasted 100 days.
• Propaganda was
broadcasted over the radio
encouraging all Hutus to
kill Tutsis.
• Killing was mainly carried
out with machetes.
• Neighbors and even family
members killed each other.
800,000 men, women, and children died
Aftermath
• About 2 million Hutus
fled across the border
into DR Congo fearing
revenge attacks.
• The RPF killed
thousands of Hutu
civilians when they
took power.
• Thousands more died
due to disease in
refugee camps.
Aftermath (Continued)
• The refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as
Zaire) directly led to the conflicts the country faced for the next two
decades.
• The was little to no international intervention in this genocide.
• Almost 2 million people were tried in local courts for their role in the
genocide.
• It is now illegal to talk about ethnicity in Rwanda in order to avoid
conflict.
How to Support
• There are many organizations and foundations in which one can
donate to in order to support those affected by the genocide.
• Example: http://survivors-fund.org.uk/ (lists many organizations that
one could donate to in order to support Rwanda and its people)
• The United Nation also has an outreach program for those interested in
supporting the survivors. Found at:
http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/about/support.shtml
Works Cited
• Image 1 - http://endgenocide.org/learn/past-genocides/the-rwandan-genocide/
• Image 2 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rwanda_in_Africa_(special_marker)_(-mini_map_rivers).svg
• Image 3 - https://2ndperiodaphug.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/674_1jp_rwanda_scaler_16.jpg
• Image 4 - https://www.emaze.com/@AOIWOLIQ/The-Genocide-Of-Rwanda
• Image 5 - http://rwanda.worldvisionmagazine.org/#!introduction
• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26875506
• http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Genocide/genocide_in_rwanda.htm
• http://survivors-fund.org.uk/
• http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/about/support.shtml