CULTURE
REMEMBERING RWANDA WRITTEN BY
Megan Baranuk This month, we remember the more than 800,000 people who were killed in the span of 100 days by extremists in Rwanda.
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n 1994, the Rwanda genocide was carried out in the span of 100 days. Hutu extremists were responsible for the extreme violence and massive tory of this genocide, and remember the count-
less individuals lost to senseless violence. The two main ethnic groups that made up Rwanda were the Tutsis and the Hutus. Though the majority of the country consisted of Hutus, the Tutsis ruled Rwanda. The Hutus overthrew the Tutsis, causing the Tutsis to flee and reside in neighborhoods (and some to Uganda). On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying the Hutu president was shot down, and everyone on board died. Hutu extremists blamed the Tutsis, specifically a radical group called the Rwandan Patriotic Front. The genocide happened very quickly after the Hutu extremists blamed the Tutsis. Immediately, Hutu extremists supplied militias with lists of government officials, and the militia sought them out and killed them and their families. The Hutus slaughtered Tutsis, and some perished at the hands of their own families or neighbors. The Hutus commonly used machetes in the slaughter of the Tutsis, as Rwandans often had machetes in households. Women captured by the Hutus were kept and put into sex slavery. Contributing further to the massive genocide of the Tutsi people were not only the hit lists, but hate propoganda on their own radio station, in which
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the Hutus encouraged people to kill all the Tutsis,
Aftereffects from the genocide continue to haunt Rwandans
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loss of life. Let’s take a look at the facts and his-
to this day.
reading out a list of people to be killed. This radio station was called Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines. Translated, this reads “Free Radio and Television of the Thousand Hills”. During the broadcast, Tutsis were referred to as “cockroaches,” and the Hutus deployed many violent sentiments against the Tutsis. The radio station itself became instrumental in inciting the Rwandan genocide. One of the most disturbing aspects of this genocide was the fact that the U.N. and Belgium both had forces in Rwanda, yet did nothing to stop the brutality of the genocide. The U.N. actively had peacekeepers stationed in the area, though they turned a blind eye as thousands were massacred. As historians look back upon the events, the warning signs of a genocide became glaringly obvious, giving international powers plenty of time to step in and prevent a massive loss of life. The head of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Rwanda had made contact with New York, stating his concerns on the mounting tensions and violence present in the country. The Belgian government similarly knew of
