Political Governance in Rwanda

This investigation studies two of the causes of the 1994 genocide of Rwanda. The two causes are examined in order to see to what extent each contributed to the genocide. The social and ethnic conflicts between two Rwandan groups called the Hutus and the Tutsis caused violent disputes and riots. The assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana is often thought of as the event that sparked the mass murders. Did the assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana influence the Rwandan genocide of 1994 more than the ongoing social and ethnic conflicts?

The 2004 film, Hotel Rwanda, directed by Terry George, highlights the brutality of the Rwandan Genocide between the Hutu and the Tutsi peoples. The results of the conflict were the death of almost one million Rwandan citizens, mostly Tutsi. Initially, the conflict arose when Belgium internationals came into Rwanda and gave power to the Tutsi, who were lighter skinned and taller, which led to extremist Hutu groups to arise in response to this unfairness. Ultimately, this uprising and forming of the two distinct groups was heavily influenced by propaganda, political corruption, and groupthink, and all of which essentially resulted in the huge tragedy.

Sitting outside a grocery shop in the Nyabugogo slum in Kigali, Rwanda, Francis Nduwimana described a longing for a change in leadership in the presidential election on August fourth. “Rwanda is tired of Kagame, but cannot express its views openly. If citizens criticize Kagame, the government agencies will accuse them of dividing the country, and will either be imprisoned or killed,” stated Nduwimana (qtd. in Onyulo). Paul Kagame has been the president of Rwanda since 2000 and could possibly be president till 2034. Under Kagame’s rule, the Rwandan military has gained a massive amount of power over citizens. Rwanda’s military is violating the Human Right’s by taking away Rwandan citizens voices and their ability to restrict the government.

Rwanda is a country located in the middle of the African continent. The two ethnic groups present in the country lived in peace under their monarch until the arrival of Europeans. The Belgians arrival into Rwandan is what split the two ethnic groups of the Tutsi and Hutus, making them identify themselves with ID cards. This caused tension between the two groups as the Belgians favored the ethnic Tutsi, and made them the head of the government. Decade’s later Hutu extremists would take over the government and have revenge on the Tutsi. The new government would send out broadcasts calling on Hutus to kill their friends and neighbors. The Rwandan genocide would become the worst genocide to ever happen in Africa and one of the worst in the world. Today Rwanda’s recovery is surprisingly fast with the help of multiple nations and organizations. Rwanda’s recovery is nothing short of a miracle and is an amazing story of a war between two peoples.

Rwanda is located in East Africa. Rwanda has a population of 12 million people and only 23% of this population has access to the electric grid. Rwanda boarders with Burundi in the south, Democratic Republic of Congo in the west, Tanzania in the East and Uganda in the North. It is a small, densely populated country, with an area of 3/4 of the Netherlands. Rwanda belongs to the 20 poorest countries in the world. However, economic growth was high in recent years, and the prospects for further development are good (World Bank, 2015).

In the 1900s, two large massacres occurred in different parts of the world leading the events to be known as genocides. A genocide took place in Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The events that took place in both countries lead to massive death for both the victimized and the oppressors. This essay focuses on Yugoslavia from 1991 – 2001 and Rwanda from April to May 1994. Although ethnic entrepreneurs influence society in both countries on the base of cultural for political gain, ordinary citizens carry out mass killing of their fellow countrymen and women. Ordinary citizens found cultural and political reason influential due to the lack of national identity and unity.

At the end of World War I, Belgium accepted the League of Nations authorization to govern the Ruanda-Urundi territory. Which later became Rwanda and Burundi. Two separate territories. Prior to Belgian rule, the African native people coexisted amongst each other and lived in peace under the same religion and spoke the same language. That was until the Belgian caused division amongst the people.They divided the people based on physical features. The Belgium announced that the Tutsis were more superior due to their visible features which included those with longer pointier noses, lighter skin, those who were taller, and had more elegance. The Hutus were the opposite. They were; dark, short and strong. They weren’t exactly sophisticated. Government

Rwanda has lived both upside and downs, it a country that is trying to overcome a lot struggles and wounds. Rwanda experience a change of power in 1994 which begin with genocide and since these past 22 years Rwanda has been trying to overcome the sad time that the genocide brought. Most of the Rwandan population died at that time and the others migrated to other countries such as France and USA, some didn’t survive, other are still in the forest where they either stayed, got lost or are afraid to get back to the country and other were able to start a new life. CIA claims that “The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and temporarily stalled the country's ability to

Genocide is “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, ethnic, political, or cultural group”. In Rwanda for example, the Hutu-led government embraced a new program that called for the country’s Hutu people to murder anyone that was a Tutsi (Gourevitch, 6). This new policy of one ethnic group (Hutu) that was called upon to murder another ethnic group (Tutsi) occurred during April through June of 1994 and resulted in the genocide of approximately 800,000 innocent people that even included women and children of all ages. In this paper I will first analyze the origins/historical context regarding the discontent amongst the Hutu and Tutsi people as well as the historical context as to why major players in the international

800,000 people were brutally slaughtered, and many more displaced in during the Rwandan Genocide, from 7 April, to 15 July 1994. The genocide was led by the Hutus, the majority, but oppressed group in the country. They were against the minority, but powerful, Tutsis. During the genocide, the international community failed to respond in a way that was successful in saving lives. This was due to the lack in interest and misinterpretation of citizens and the media, restricted involvement of the United States due to the Battle of Mogadishu, and national disinterest in other countries, and racism and prejudice towards Africans.

How did the use of combined strategies of the ICTR and the Gacaca work in the Rwandan case, could it be seen as modern day model for transitional justice?

Rwanda is a small country located in central Africa. It borders with Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. One of the most terrible “ethnic conflicts” occurred here in 1994, two tribes fought each other within the same territory, the rest of the world bizarrely ignored this event and thousands of people were killed. The event lasted 100 days and almost 1 million people died, even though the Rwanda government asked other countries for military

The Republic of Rwanda As the universe progresses so do different societies and civilizations. From the beginning of mankind there have been many positive and negative changes. We have seen uproar of conflict within nations and boundaries. This change has been seen evident in countries other than just the United States, from coast to coast, continent to continent, war and struggle is noticeable.

The genocides in Rwanda and Burundi were tragic parts of modern African history. This conflict was caused by tension between two major ethnicities in the area- the Hutu and Tutsi. The Tutsis were given power by the European invaders because they were involved in cow farming, while the Hutu were seen as lesser people because they involved themselves in crop farming. This led to conflict which was not between all members of both groups, but a war between the Tutsi leaders and a group of Hutus, who called themselves the PALIPEHUTU, “an acronym for, roughly, ‘Liberation of the Hutu People’” (pg 94 par 1). Tracy Kidder wrote the book Strength in What Remains about Deogratias “Deo” Niyizonkiza, a man who escapes from Burundi during this time of

Prior to colonial era, Rwanda had larger population of Hutus compared to Tutsis and Twa. Rwanda as a country was divided into three ethnic groups i.e. Hutu (approximately about 85%), Tutsi (14%) and Twa (1%) (United Nations). Although, Tutsis were the minorities, they belonged to the higher strata compared to the other ethnic groups; Tutsis were privileged and had power and control over the Hutus and Twas. “Hutus were formerly bound to their Tutsi patrons via client ship” (Sinema, 2012). When Rwanda was colonized by Germany followed by Belgium, they favored Tutsis as they represented the upper class prior to the colonization. These created a social system like feudal system where there was a power difference between the Hutus and the Tutsis. Tutsis were considered as lord and the Hutus on the other hand, were considered as peasants. As a consequence, this created an ethic tension between the Hutus and the Tutsis and created a system more like apartheid. Nonetheless, they managed to co exist in Rwanda until they were decolonized. Although there is no social distinction between the Hutus and the Tutsis, the conflict between these tribes increased tremendously after the independence from Belgian that led to mass murder and ethnic cleansing of the Tutsi by the Hutu.