Rwandan Genocide Flashcards
What 2 well known nationalism occurred in Africa
- AFRIKANER NATIONALISM lead to APARTHEID - Afrikaans group of people want to govern themselves free from the British (no longer wanted to be a British colony). Thought they were better (Ito ethnicity and culture) than the Africans
- HUTU NATIONALISM - desired independence and wanted to self govern free from interference from the Belgium or Germany (thought they were better than the Tutsi in terms ethnicity and culture) lead to GENOCIDE against the TUTSI in RWANDA
Define Nationalism
the DESIRE for INDEPENDENCE
- the DESIRE of a GROUP of PEOPLE to GOVERN THEMSELVES
- WITHOUT INTERFERENCE from OTHER PEOPLE/NATIONS
- the IDEA that YOUR NATION (shared by ethnicity or set of values)
- is BETTER than ALL other NATIONS
Role of RADIO in Genocide
FAR MORE ACCESSIBLE than print media - EVERY PERSON AND HOME HAD ONE (a lot of people were ILLITERATE)
LETHAL on COMMENTARY OF TUTSIS
ANTI-TUTSI PROPOGANDA
Called Tutsi COCKROACHES and DEVILS and were told that Tutsis WOULD DESTROY RWANDA AND KILL THE HUTUS
USA had the TECHNICAL ABILILTIES TO JAM RADIOS but REFUSED TO GET INVOLVED
1. Too Expensive
2. Didn’t want to go against People’s right to Speak
3. SOMALIA Syndrome - after Somalia USA did not want to intervene in FAILED states
When did Rwanda become independent from Belgium
1962
When did the Rwandan Genocide start
1994
Key facts of Rwandan Genocide
Started April 1994 (when Rwandan president (Hutu) killed when his plane was shot down)
Genocide against TUTSIS lasted over 100 days
1 million people killed (of total population 8 million)
Hutus massacred/murdered Tutsis mostly hacked to death with machetes and clubs
History prior to Independence of Rwanda in 1962
Colonial favouritism by Belgiums and Germans to Tutsis (tall lighter skinned)
- Education
- Jobs
- Economic
- ID cards showed ethnicity
Tutsis = 15% of population = cattle herders = held most of land in Rwanda/Burundi
Hutus = 87% of population = farmers
TWA = 1% of population
What happened between Independence (1962) to Genocide (1994)
Civil war between Hutus and Burundis from early 1960s onwards
In 1962 Rwanda split into 2 nations of RWANDA and BURUNDI
Early 1960 when Civil war broke out - 100,000 Tutsis fled Rwanda to Burundi
Resulted in:
RWANDA - Hutu controlled by Hutu goverment)
BURUNDI - Tutsis in control of army —> seized political power in Burundi ——>TUTSI BURUNDI GOVERNMENT (over the years any Tutsis crushed any Hutu uprisings in Burundi - eg in 1972 1000 Hutus killed by Tutsis
1990 to 1994 - see Events leading to Genocide
What Events lead to Genocide in 1994 (from 1990 to 1994)
- 1990 - RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front - Tutsi refugees living in UGANDA) INVADES RWANDA
- 1993 - ARUSHA PEACE ACCORDS (peace treaty signed between Tutsi RPF rebels and Hutu Rwandese government) signed in Arusha in TANZANIA (arranged by UN and small UN force UNAMIR (UNITED NATIONS MISSION FOR RWANDA) put place in Rwanda to monitor Accord) = UN MISSION = BIG FAILURE as genocide starts
- 1993 - Tutsi officers killed first-ever Hutu president in BURUNDI when Tutsis tried to overthrow government. Resulted in 100000 Hutus being killed by the Tutsis in Burundi
- Hutu extremists fan hostility in Rwanda against Tutsis
- April 1994 - Rwandan President killed in plane crash (his plane shot down)
- HUTU EXTREMISTS - KILL 11 Belgium UN PEACEKEEPERS and EXECUTE series of MASSACRES = START OF GENOCIDE
What is INTERHAMWE
Means “THOSE WHO FIGHT TOGETHER”
Formed in 1994 by YOUTH FAR RIGHT WING OF RULING RWANDAN PARTY (HUTUS)
BACKED BY HUTU POWER
CIVILIAN DEATH SQUADS - carried out LARGE MASSACRES
Most Tutsis and Tutsi sympathisers were mostly killed in SCHOOLS, CHURCHES and ABANDONED UN POSTS
INTERHAMWE flag has SKYTHE and long axe (colours of red, black and green - long lines)
What does CUT THE TALL TREES mean
Tutsis were tall
CODE for “go to work” - get out your machetes and kill the Tutsis
Why did the International Community fail to Intervene
- Too Expensive - FINANCIAL CONTRAINTS
- Didn’t want to go against People’s right to freedom of speech
- SOMALIA Syndrome - after disastrous failed peacekeeping mission Somalia - USA vowed to never to return to a conflict involving tribes and clans it didn’t understand - ie did not want to intervene in FAILED states
- Safety concerns and FEAR
UN SECRETARY after Genocide said that FAILING TO SEND TROOPS TO RWANDA WAS A FAILURE OF UN & INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICTY
When was the RWANDAN GENOCIDE
100 DAYS
6 APRIL 1994 TO 18 JULY 1994
How did the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY RESPOND BEFORE THE GENOCIDE
PRIOR TO GENOCIDE, UN & USA ingnored WARNINGS from HEAD OF UNAMIR - UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSion FOR RWANDA = GEN. ROMEO DALLAIRE
DALLAIRE informed:
1. There was plan to EXTERMINATE the TUTSIS
2. Urgently requested to be granted permission to RAID HUTU WEAPON CACHES - DENIED TOO DANGEROUS
3. He was told the Hutus that if they carried on this way Genocide was about to begin (which they knew already had)
AFTER GENOCIDE - HOW WAS JUSTICE WAS SERVED
- JAIL but over 80000 inmates - insufficient funding, not enough jails and lack of basic services
- INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA - TRIALS 1994 to 2012 - TOO SLOW
- HOMEGROWN JUSTICE SYSTEM
- called GACACA
