Politics of Rwanda

SPRING SEMESTER 2015 BEING CHURCH IN POST-GENOCIDE RWANDA _________________________________________ PAPER PRESENTED TO DR ANYANGO REGGY BEULAH HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY _____________________________________________ IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE COURSE DM 904 LEADERSHIP AND PEACEMAKING: CONFLICT AND RECONCILLIATION __________________________________ BY GEOFFREY CHEGE 02/21/2015. INTRODUCATION INTRODUCTION: BEING CHURCH IN POST GENOCIDE RWANDA: THE CHALLENGES OF FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION

population of South Africa was separated into four groups: Black, White, Coloured and Indian. The Black Africans represented the majority of the population in South Africa, but with this new policy, all of their rights (liberty, participation in politic, and so on) have been removed. They were forced to have identity cards and they were forced to live in the worst areas of the country: the most arid and infertile areas. (Department of Public Information: 1995, p.207-208) This problem was first

combination of a Greek word genos (“race” or “tribe”) and a Latin word cide (“killing”). In 1994, in the beginning of April, the same has happened in Rwanda. A genocide. One group of people who were called Hutus inhumanely killed Tutsis, and in only 100 days approximately 800000 people were slaughtered (Stapleton 25). Before the colonial period in Rwanda, there were three classifications of people. Hutus, who made up the majority of the population 84%, Tutsi who were only 17% and Twa who only made up

“Unimaginable Terror” The Rwandan Genocide and the “what if”s that stained the conscience of the the International System In 1998, four years after the Rwandan genocide, Bill Clinton stood in front of Rwandan genocide survivors and officials and solemnly apologised that he and his government “did not fully appreciate the depth and the speed with which you were being engulfed by this unimaginable terror”. Continuing with a regretful tone, Clinton proclaimed that “We must have global vigilance. And

Africa and Colombia in the Andean region. Finally, I will also argue that if a country has strong governmental institutions, state failure in neighbouring states is less likely to become regional The relevance of state failure in global politics became increasingly significant after the cold war (Harpviken, 2010). This is because before the cold war many fragile states were prevented from failing due to the support they received from either the former USSR or USA as strategic allies for

States officials were knowledgeable about the rampant brutality occurring in Rwanda at the time, no significant step was ever made to directly intervene and halt the violence. Rather, many of the informed actively searched for ways to avoid involvement altogether in fear of the potential negative impact it could have on the United States and the current balance of power. Much of the United States’ reluctance to aid Rwanda stemmed from memories of failed peacekeeping endeavors such as Somalia, where

occurring since 1945 probably even earlier. Genocide has occurred over than 75 different countries. Although there are 26 that are the major ones and the ones with the most people since the Holocaust. Some of the countries that it has occurred are in; Rwanda, Rouge Cambodia, and Darfur. Rouge Cambodia located in South East Asia has been one of the most places where genocide has occurred. They have from 1.5 to 3

subjects and citizens were the main actors in the genocide (Hintjens 244).” The establishment of colonial rule by the Europeans impacted the conflict in Rwanda due to the creation of ethnic boundaries between the Tutsis and the Hutus. Hierarchies were established based upon European racial theories. Throughout the colonization and independence of Rwanda, the tension generated by European intervention only magnified thus leading to quotas and ineffective regulations. Aside from the assassination of the

A. Plan of Investigation What was the cause of the Rwandan Genocide? The assassination of the president of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana on April 6, 1994, was the event that started the 100 Day massacre of the Tutsis by the Hutus, known as the Rwandan Genocide. The objective of this investigation is to find out the root of the cause of the Rwandan Genocide. The body of evidence will investigate the history of the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups and the events leading up to the genocide

The chapter “Practices of National Unity and Reconciliation” from Susan Thomson’s book Africa and the Diaspora: Whispering Truth to Power: Everyday Resistance to Reconciliation in Postgenocide Rwanda, gives readers insight on the daily struggles of reestablishing lives and a nation after brutality. The various practices and mechanisms of national unity operate within the dense apparatus of the Rwandan state and are a central element of the RPF’s unity-building activities, which are, in tur, the foundation