World Geography
Genocide in Africa:
Focus on Rwanda
Between April 1994 and July 1994 approximately 800,000 Rwandans were killed in a short,
but devastating act of genocide. The roots of the Rwandan genocide are closely tied to its colonial
history. Like most African nations, Rwanda was colonized by European powers. The Germans were
the first to occupy the country (1894-1916) before the Belgians gained control of Rwanda during
World War I. The population of Rwanda was made up of two main ethnic groups: the Hutu (who
formed the majority of the population) and the Tutsi (who were in the minority).
Tutsi Identification Card
The Hutu and the Tutsi lived in peace with each other during
the German occupation of Rwanda. There is no historical evidence of
tension or violence between the two ethnic groups during this time.
When the Belgians took over Rwanda in 1916, they were worried about
their ability to maintain control over the people of Rwanda. Like
many European imperialists, the Belgians adopted a policy of “divide
and conquer”. They placed a lot of attention on the ethnic differences
between the Hutu and the Tutsi. The Belgians created an identity-card
system that designated all Rwandans as either Hutu or Tutsi.
According to the Belgians, the Tutsi were light-skinned and more
“European” than the dark-skinned Hutu. The Belgians gave more
rights and privileges to the Tutsi people of Rwanda. The Tutsi were
given access to better education, better jobs and many even held
positions in the Rwandan government. This favoritism created a lot of
tension and resentment. The Hutu were angry that the Tutsi received
favorable treatment and they directed that anger, not at the Belgians,
but at the Tutsi.
In the late 1950s & early 1960s, a growing number of African nations were gaining their
independence from Europe. The more educated and more prosperous Tutsi began to pressure the
Belgian government to grant Rwanda its independence. The Belgian government turned its back on
the Tutsi and established a new alliance with the Hutu. Between 1959 and 1962, the Hutu killed more
than 15,000 Tutsi at the orders of the Belgian government. Another 100,000 Tutsi fled Rwanda
into neighboring countries like Uganda. The Tutsi that remained in Rwanda were stripped of their
wealth and status. The Hutu remained in power even after Belgium granted Rwanda its independence
in 1962.
Throughout the 1980s, small militias of Tutsi tried to attack the Hutu government to regain
some of the power that they’d lost. Small-scale violence between the Hutu and Tutsi was
commonplace in Rwanda until 1993. That year the Hutu President of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana,
reached a peace treaty with the Tutsi. He agreed to give the Tutsi greater power in government and
allowed many Tutsi to move back to Rwanda. The Hutu president’s actions pleased the Tutsi, but
angered many Hutu. On April 6, 1994, less than a year after the peace agreement was reached,
President Habyarimana’s plane was shot down by Hutu militants.
Within 24 hours of the president’s assassination, the Hutu militants, who’d been planning to
exterminate the Tutsi for years, began killing Tutsi in the capital city of Kigali. Throughout the city,
Tutsi were separated from Hutus, where they were hacked to death with machetes. The Hutu militias
worked in shifts slaughtering all Tutsis in the capital. Death squads went from neighborhood to
neighborhood murdering both Tutsi and any Hutu who did not support their actions.
Tutsi victim displays his scars
Radio stations brought news of the killings to
Tutsi living in the countryside. Government
broadcasts encouraged the Tutsi to gather together in
churches, schools and stadiums. The Tutsi did not
know that the Hutu were behind these broadcasts.
Gathered together in one spot, the Tutsi became easy
targets for the Hutu militants. Within two weeks,
more than 250,000 people had been killed by the
Hutu militants. The Hutu focused their slaughter on
men and boys at the beginning of the genocide, but as
the killing progressed they turned their attention to
Tutsi women and girls. By the end of April 1994, the
United Nations estimated that nearly one half of the
Tutsi population had been killed.
The United Nations was aware of the genocide as it was taking place, but the situation was
deemed “too risky” for the U.N. to intervene. The United States was aware of the violence too, but
did not refer to the violence as “genocide” until late May of 1994. U.S. government officials spent
much of April, May and June debating over the appropriate actions that the U.S. should have taken.
The U.S. spoke with the Hutu militant leaders and asked them to stop the violence, but no actions
were taken when the requests were denied.
The Tutsi army (known as the RPF) began fighting back against the Hutu immediately. After
waging a 4 month battle against the Hutu, the capital city fell to the Tutsi and the Hutu signed a
peace treaty on July 18th, 1994. In just over 100 days, approximately 800,000 people were killed in
the Rwandan genocide (750,000 Tutsi and 50,000 Hutu moderates).
Name:
Date:
Core:
World Geography
(30 points)
Genocide in Rwanda:
Reflection Questions
Fact Check
1. Identify the two major ethnic groups found in Rwanda (2 points)
a. _______________________
b. _______________________
2. Identify the European country that colonized Rwanda in 1916. _________________ (1 point)
3. Identify the ethnic group was favored by the colonists when they first took over in 1916.
_________________ (1 point)
4. Identify two different ways that the Europeans showed favoritism to the group you identified
in question #3. (2 points)
a. _____________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________
5. Explain why the colonists favored that ethnic group. _________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________(4 points)
6. Explain why the government began to favor a different Rwandan ethnic group in the late
1950s. ________________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________(4 points)
7. Describe what occurred in Rwanda between 1959 & 1962. ______________________________
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______________________________________________________________________(3 points)
8. Identify the group of Rwandans who controlled the country when it gained its independence
in 1962. _________________ (1 point)
9.
Explain why Hutu militants assassinated the Hutu President of Rwanda on April 6, 1994. ____
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_____________________________________________________________________(4 points)
10. Describe the role that Hutu played in the Rwandan genocide. __________________________
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______________________________________________________________________(3 points)
11. Describe the role that the United Nations and the United States played in the Rwandan
genocide. _____________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________(4 points)
12. Identify the number of people were killed by the Hutu militants during the Rwandan
genocide. ___________________ (1 point)
Reader Response (20 points)
1. Read the statement below and explain whether you agree or disagree. Use evidence from the
text to support your response.
The Rwandan genocide was indirectly caused by its colonial past. It’s likely that the genocide
would’ve never occurred if it wasn’t for the policies of the Belgian government.
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