When mentioned to most people, the country of Rwanda would not garner much of a response. A land locked country in the continent of Africa; Rwanda is not a known, wealthy or powerful nation. The history of the country is riddled by foreign occupation and warring domestic factions, as is the case with many African nations. Until 1994, the world took no note of Rwanda. Now, it is a cautionary tale for the price of foreign inaction.

To understand the atrocities that occurred in Rwanda during 1994, we must first look at its history. The population was divided early in the history of the country into two different factions. The first were the Hutu (Who-too) and the second Tutsi (Toot-see). The difference between the two groups is mostly economical and although they make up the majority of the population, Hutus have spent most of Rwanda’s history in a status considered inferior to Tutsis. Hutus have long been labeled as peasants and were forced to work in a strict manner of serfdom similar to the social and political order in Europe during the Middle Ages. In this manner, the chiefs of the country were mainly Tutsi while the peasants were mainly Hutu. Even at this time though, it was possible to shed the label of Hutu by increase of wealth. Social mobility was interlinked with economic status. The division between the Hutus and Tutsis was made more apparent with the colonization of Rwanda by Germany in 1885.

In 1885, Germany looked to rule Rwanda indirectly by giving the Tutsis control of the country after succumbing to German rule. This gave Tutsis even more economic and political power over the Hutus and is thought to be one of main causes of Hutu-Tutsi aggression.

Hutu-Tutsi relations were strained even further after World War I when Rwanda came under the control of Belgium. Belgium followed the earlier practices of Germany, in ruling over Rwanda causing further strain between the Hutus and Tutsis until 1959. In that year, Belgium called for a self-governed Rwanda and in 1962, Rwanda was given full-independence. In its first free elections, the Hutu nationalist party, Parmehutu, won the majority vote. The Hutu victory would begin a cycle of violence that would end in the death of nearly one million people.

The 30 years that followed saw two men rise to the presidency of Rwanda; Gregoire Kayibanda (1962 – 1973) and Juvenal Habyarimana (1973-1992). Rwanda grew restless due to Hutu-Tutsi relations and problems of Tutsi refugees. With the Hutus now in control of political power, any Tutsi could be expelled from the country. 200,000 Tutsis fled Rwanda after the Hutus took power in 1962 and many more would in the years to come. Many Tutsi refugees fled to Uganda where Rwandans fought with Ugandans to free the country from the militant depose Milton Obote. Many Tutsis saw Uganda as foreshadow of what was to occur in Rwanda. Fearing this outcome, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) was formed in 1985 under the leadership of Paul Kagame. The outfit was mainly Tutsi and on October 1, 1990 invaded Rwanda from their base in Uganda.

The next four years were marked with Civil War between the Hutus and Tutsis. Fighting between the two ended on August 4th, 1993, with the signing by the RPF and Majority Hutu government of what was called the Arusha Accords. The sides were brought together by the United States and France through the Organization of African Unity. A transitional government was formed in which president Habyarimana was stripped of what many considered his absolute power over the country. The accords were meant to divide power equally amongst the many political parties in the country at the time. The RPF and the ruling Hutu party could not come to an agreement over the terms which spilled into the genocide itself.

The genocide began with the assassination of Rwanda’s President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi’s Hutu president, Cyprien Ntaryamira. There were many theories to whom the assassination could be attributed to; Paul Kagame, members of Habyarimana's family, and even the RPF with foreign help. The assassination was to be blamed on the Tutsis and was the signal to begin the genocide. Two different militias along with the Rwandan army were trained and armed, ready to carry out the human extermination. The militias set up roadblocks to keep Tutsis and moderate Hutus in the country to be killed. Between April 6th and mid July, the number of people killed, although not officially counted, was said to be between 800,000 and 1,071,000. The U.S. was fresh off a defeat at the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia and refused to give the help Rwanda needed. France, China and Russia also refused aide calling the genocide an internal conflict. Belgium was the only country to send men and to lobby the United Nations for a strong peacekeeping group to be sent. After the death of ten Belgium soldiers, Belgium would also pull out of Rwanda. At first the UN and its member states would not even admit to the fact that genocide had occurred in Rwanda. It took the UN a month before admitting that acts of genocide may have occurred in Rwanda. French peace keeping units were sent into Rwanda on June 22, 1994 and helped quell the violence. Unfortunately, due to misinformation, the force killed Tutsis as well as Hutus.

Rwanda would come to be known as the biggest mistake in the history of U.S. foreign policy. Bill Clinton has said in interviews that if 5000 troops would have been sent to Rwanda as requested by the Rwandan government, 500,000 lives could have been saved. This is a lesson that should have been learned from the genocide witnessed in Serbia in the 1990’s and even as far back as Germany during World War II. Even right now as you read this, genocide is happening again in Darfur, Sudan, where people are being executed and forced to leave their country.

Politicians in America will bend to the will of the people. Unless we as voters and citizens show that the world is important to us, then foreign policy will be decided for us as it is now. The key is for us to be informed and to make our opinion be known. Unless we do, then evil will continue to rear its head and genocide will not end.

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CRISIS IN RWANDA
Never Again...