Genocide in Rwanda:100 Days of Terror in the Land of

A Thousand Hills

GEOGRAPHY - Rwanda is a small, land-locked

country in Central Africa

- It borders 4 countries:- Uganda to the North- Burundi to the South - Tanzania to the East- Democratic Republic of the

Congo to the West

THE LAND OF A THOUSAND HILLS

Because much of Rwanda is hilly or mountainous, it is called the land of a

thousand hills.

SYMBOLS OF RWANDA- The flag of Rwanda was adopted on October

25, 2001- The new flag was symbolic of a fresh start –

the previous flag was associated with the genocide of 1994

- Each of the flag’s colors has significance:- Blue: happiness and peace- Green: the hope of prosperity - Yellow: economic development

- The sun on the flag represents enlightenment- The Rwandan motto in Kinyarwandan is

“Ubumwe, Umurimo, Gukunda Igihugu,” which means "Unity, Work, Patriotism."

FACTS ABOUT RWANDA

- Population: 10.5 million- Over ½ of Rwanda’s population is under 18 years old

- Capital City: Kigali

- Languages Spoken: Kinyarwanda, English, French

FACTS ABOUT RWANDA

- Rwanda is the only country in the world that has more women in the government than men (55%)

- Rwanda is environmentally friendly: Plastic bags have been banned in the country since 2006.

Rwanda’s Volcano National Park is home to one of the world’s most rare and highly endangered species – The Mountain Gorilla.-only about 630 remain in the world-vegetarian; only known predators are leopards, crocodiles, and humans-newborns weigh about 4 pds, but develop twice as fast as humans

RWANDAN WILDLIFE

COLONIALISM IN RWANDA: A TRAGIC LEGACY

1885 –The Berlin Conference of European Powers was held to divide Africa among colonial powers. Germany

got Rwanda.

COLONIALISM IN RWANDA: A TRAGIC LEGACY

1894 – The first European colonists arrive in Rwanda

COLONIALISM IN RWANDA: A TRAGIC LEGACY

1918 – Under the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I, Germany lost Rwanda to Belgium.

- The Belgian colonists divided Rwanda’s population into distinct

groups: 1. Tutsi

2. Hutu- The minority Tutsi (14%) are favored over the Hutu (85%) - The Tutsi are considered

superior because the Belgians liked

their facial features better and decided they were the

superior “race.”

COLONIALISM IN RWANDA: A TRAGIC LEGACY

COLONIALISM IN RWANDA: A TRAGIC LEGACY

COLONIALISM IN RWANDA: A TRAGIC LEGACY

COLONIALISM IN RWANDA: A TRAGIC LEGACY

1926 – Belgians introduce a system of ethnic identity cards differentiating Hutus from Tutsis.

1959 –Tutsis began to aggressively pursue independence from Belgium

- The Belgians, fearing their colonial rule was coming to an end, supported the Hutu in an uprising against the Tutsi to try to ensure their continued power

- 50,000 Tutsis flee to Burundi. - Thousands of Tutsis are killed.

RWANDA: AN INDEPENDENT NATION

1962 – Belgian withdraws – Rwanda becomes an independent nation.1963-1990:

-The Hutus gain power and repeatedly

attack Tutsis, causing them to flee the

country (more than half leave).-Refugee Tutsis in Uganda form the

RPF(Rwandan Patriotic Front)

1990-Aug. 1993: -RPF attacks the government-President Habyarimana signs Peace Accord, promising to share power-2,500 UN Troops stationed in Kigali

RWANDA: RISING CONFLICT

Sept. 1993-March 1994: -President Habyarimana

stalls on setting up a shared-power government.

-A Hutu civilian army, called the Interhamwe, is formed.

-Anti-Tutsi propaganda is run through Radio Rwanda, themain radio station in Rwanda.

-By March 1994, foreigners and international organizations evacuate the country, convinced that a massacre is about to break out.

The Genocide Begins: 100 Days of Slaughter

April 6, 1994 – July 18, 1994

THE GENOCIDE BEGINS

April 6, 1994 – President Habyarimana and the president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, are killed when Habyarimana’s plane is shot down near Kigali Airport.

– Theory of Hutu Responsibility: Hutu Extremists, suspecting

that the president is finally going to implement the Peace Accords are believed to be behind the attack

– Theory of Tutsi Responsibility: Tutsi members of the RPF,

including current president Kagame and one of his advisors

are believed to have killed them. – That night the killing begins

100 DAYS OF BRUTALITY

April 7, 1994 – The Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) and the Interahamwe set up roadblocks and begin killing Tutsis with machetes– On this day, ten Belgian soldiers with the U.N. who were assigned to guard the moderate Hutu Prime Minister, are tricked into giving up their weapons. They are tortured and murdered.

April 9-10, 1994 – France and Belgium send troops to rescue their citizens. American civilians are also airlifted out. No Rwandans are rescued, not even Rwandans employed by Western governments in their embassies

April 11, 1994 – At the Don Bosco school, protected by U.N. soldiers, the number of civilians seeking refuge reaches 2,000. That afternoon, the U.N. soldiers are ordered to withdraw to the airport. Most of the civilians they abandon are killed.

100 DAYS OF BRUTALITY

April 21, 1994 – The U.N. cuts its forces from 2,500 to 250

April 30, 1994 – The U.N. Security Council spends 8 hours

discussing the crisis. The resolution omits the

word "genocide" in their condemnation of the

violence. Had the term been used, the U.N.

would have been legally obliged to act.

May 17, 1994 – The slaughter of Tutsis continues. The U.N.

agrees to send troops defend civilians because

"acts of genocide may have been committed,“

but deployment is delayed because of arguments over who will fund the effort.

July 1994 – The Rwanda Genocide ends when the RPF gains

control of the country.

100 DAYS OF BRUTALITY

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

– The United Nations – Although some United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces were stationed in Rwanda, they were strictly to forbidden to intervene

– Despite the requests of the soldiers to help, the soldiers were told to simply “monitor” the situation

– 10 Belgian soldiers killed immediately after the genocide began– Most of the remaining soldiers were withdrawn on April 20th

– The United States– The United States denied the seriousness of the fighting, arguing over the definition of the word “genocide”– There was no American cooperation – Bill Clinton, who later called his choice of inaction in the

Rwandan Genocide his greatest regret from his presidency said in Rwanda in

1998, “It may seem strange to you here, especially the many of you who lost members of your family, but all over the world there were people like me sitting in offices, day after day after day, who did not fully appreciate the depth and speed with which you were being engulfed by this unimaginable terror." – Africa had no force to intervene

ATTEMPTS AT JUSTICE

– The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) – Rape is first recognized as an offense of

genocide – 60+ indictments are made

– Rwandan Courts – 125,000 detainees – 2,000 cases handled after 4 years

– “Justice on the Grass” – Informal revenge – Took place in the countryside of Rwanda

THE LASTING EFFECTS OF GENOCIDE: THE ORPHANS OF RWANDA

• Rwanda has one of the highest numbers of orphans in the world

• Lots of children live in child-headed households – which means there are no adults living with them

• Siblings live together and take care of one another

THE LASTING EFFECTS OF GENOCIDE: A NATION PLAGUED BY POVERTY

– Although the people of Rwanda continue to work very hard to rebuild their lives after the devastation of 1994, many people still live in poverty

– About 4 in 10 people live on less than $1 per day (36%)

RWANDA TODAY– Paul Kagame is Rwanda’s current leader – Kagame was a leader of the RPF – He is Rwanda’s first Tutsi president – He has been in power since 1994 – He was just re-elected to office

– Rwanda is still in the process of recovering and struggling to heal and rebuild– Many Hutu who fled from the country after the genocide have returned– Rwanda is showing signs of rapid development– The government has prompted reconiciliation and economic development

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As Rwanda continues to heal and grow, it is important to remember the Rwandan proverb, “The truth passes through fire, but never burns.”