Surviving the Rwandan Genocide

Back in 2009, Bob Simon on the CBS show, 60 Minutes, shared with his audience a dramatic story about a Tutsi woman surviving some 90 days during the Rwandan Genocide. The experiences and memories endured by Immaculee Ilibagiza can show us the true fear caused by the Hutus in order to try to exterminate the Tutsi ethnicity. Her Tutsi-type story is very common amongst other Tutsis, where they hid in order to escape death or capture.

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Personal Account of the Genocide: Juliette's Story

The following video is about Juliette Mukakabanda, who experienced the tragedies of the Rwandan genocide herself. Unfortunately her story is one of the many that were developed during the events leading up to the year of 1994. While barely escaping with her infant daughter, her husband and two sons were massacred. She is kind to share her story with us.

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Documentary: "Ghosts of Rwanda"

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Aftermath of the Genocide: late 1990s and 2000s

Although the actual number of deaths has not been determined, the UN estimates over 1 million people lost their lives. With Rwanda's pre-genocidal population at 8 million, this was a huge ratio of deaths compared to the total population. Among the deaths, over a third of the Tutsi minority were dead. It is important to note that the international community, such as the United States and United Nations, did not assist Rwanda in stopping the genocide. In addition, with 2 million trying to flee into "safe zones" created by French military or neighboring countries like Zaire, also known as Democratic Republic of the Congo, this devastated the residential population of Rwanda. With the refugees fleeing toward Zaire, fear and panic surrounded these overcrowded camps. Likewise, violence followed and expanded in those specific areas. Most of the Hutu extremists went into exile in Zaire and Tanzania but they reappeared to spark some resistance against Tutsi testimonies on genocidal crimes. However, the RPF reaffirmed control of the capital and set up a "Provisional Government" with a Hutu president, Pasteur Bizimungu. Yet, in April 2000, with Bizimungu sentenced to 15 years in jail for associating with criminals, it led to the rising of a powerful figure, Major General Paul Kagame of the RPF. In 2003, he pardoned Bizimungu's sentence and released him from jail after only serving three years in jail. It is clear that the process for peace is underway. Back in 2002, the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed an agreement to end the four-year war, also resulting in disarmament of all Hutu refugees in the territory. At the end, Rwanda military forces penetrated rebel groups in the D.R.C., who caused the genocide, and negotiated for peace. Today, Rwanda has recovered economically, politically, and socially. After joining the Commonwealth in November 2009, and the second country to do so, behind the country of Mozambique, can distinguish the rebuilding process after such a horrific civil war and bloodshed.

1994: "The Graves Are Only Half Full, Who Will Help Us Fill Them Up?"

The stage was set for the bloody genocide. The Hutu "Zero Network" had killed over 2,300 people in the months before the actual genocide began. With extremism on the Hutu side, Tutsis were now threatened. On April 6, 1994, General Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down. Even though there was a lack of evidence, Hutu extremists blamed the Tutsi resistance forshooting rockets at their president's plane. Therefore, Hutus were committed to cause destruction toward every Tutsi. Starting in Rwanda's capital, Kinyarwanda, Hutus killed all the Tutsis they saw. In the countryside, more Tutsis met their fate after the local Hutu chiefs made death lists of those who were Tutsi. Hutu extremists also hunted those involved in thecoalition government, which were mostly moderate Hutus, that leaned toward cooperation with the Tutsis and their political views. Most of the killings were conducted by militias supporting the MRND movement. These militias emerged as a result from the multiparty agreement during the early 1990s. By July 1994, with just a month into the violence, a shock of over 500,000 people were murdered. Literally, these people were brutally massacred by militias, who used machetes as their primary weapon. Mass graves were dug to bury large quantities of Tutsis together. Thousands of corpses went downstream by the Kagara River to neighboring countries like Tanzania, at a surprising rate of 80 new bodies found an hour. By taking these shocking facts into consideration, this genocide marks itself as one of the bloodiest genocide.

Struggle Continues: From 1970s to 1990s

With the Hutus now in control over Rwanda, continual rejection toward the Tutsi ethnicity continued. During a military coup in 1973, Major General Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu leader, seized power in Rwanda. Habyarimana was the head of the army-dominated regime and instituted the MRND, National Revolutionary Movement for Development. Under the MRND, ethnicities were ignored for a while, yet strong hatred between the Hutus and Tutsis still existed. Among the economic opportunities, the Tutsis were limited to hold a maximum of 14 percent of all job positions, while the MRNDanointed the Hutus with better jobs, with better wages. However, due to coffee prices collapsing (Rwanda's major export-earner), by the 1980s, Rwanda's economy declined and both groups were resistant towards their authoritarian regime. Realizing his only option to give up his power, Habyarimana accepted the emergence of new political parties, such as the Democratic Republic Movement (MDR), which included both Hutus and Tutsis. One can see the risk taken by both groups trying to cooperate with one another and settle into one political party. Later, in 1992, Rwandan government transformed into a "Transitional Coalition Government", consisting of all the major political parties, including the MDR and MRND. By doing this, Habyarimana emphasized the importance of democracy and stability. However, violence would never end, with the buildup of the RPF (movement formed by the Tutsi exiles that fled to Uganda after being harshly treated during the 1950s), French military assistance was needed to stop the violence. Once the United Nations got involved, they began "supervised elections" that led to the rising of "extreme anti-Tutsi" Hutus in high government positions. This was the beginning stage of the 1994 genocide of the Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Colonial Era: Hutu vs. Tutsi

The already established feudal system in Rwanda survived until thecolonial era. Once the Europeans intervened, all hell broke loose. With the Germans introducing European influence to the Rwandans, later in 1916, the Belgians took over control of the existing order as a mandate of the League of Nations. The Belgians classified the Tutsis as the more dominant sector than the Hutus. From their consequential classification between the two, social order was instable from then on. Religious conversion to Catholicism was mandatory and both sides seem to resist. In addition, continuous pressure on Hutu peasantry to produce more cash crops, who are already forced to live in overcrowded places. With the clear advantage leaning over to the wealthy Tutsi landowners, discontent grew over the Hutu population. Tutsi-dominated Rwanda lasted for about twenty years until the Mwami, the king (see figure below), died in the late 1950s. This sparked a huge, bloody Hutu rebellion against the Tutsi aristocracy that cost the lives of hundreds of thousands. One can see that sometimes historydoes repeat itself. In the battle for independence, in 1961, Rwandan officials organized a pre-election to establish the first Rwandan government. Gregoire Kayibanda won the election and his Hutu Emancipation Movement (Parmehutu) was now dominant over the once-dominated Tutsi society. In the following years, violence and competitioncontinued between the two groups for political dominance. As a result, many Tutsis fled to bordering countries such as Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Hutu government have been very oppressive toward Tutsis returning, and even question citizenship to those that already live in Rwanda. As history works itself out, Tutsi exiles would reorganize and initiate their movement, the RPF, in Uganda.

Difference Between a Hutu and a Tutsi

Before mentioning anything about the conflict between the two ethnicities, Hutu and Tutsi, we must be able to tell their differences. In understanding each group, one can see why they would spare lives over specific issues/problems. Ironically, any outsider would have a difficult time telling the difference between the two ethnicities. Truthfully, the two groups are quite similar. With an exception of a stereotype that a Tutsi is usually tall, both look the same physically. Both speak the same Bantu language, Kinyarwanda. The majority of each group practice Christianity, so there is no religious-type of conflict. "Intermarriages between the two groups have taken place for centuries." However, as previously mentioned, Hutus controlled the majority while the Tutsis were considered the second highest in the Rwandan caste system. In the eyes of a Rwandan, they oppose to view each other as different ethnicities but rather different classes. A Tutsi is considered as a foreigner because people in Rwanda, especially the Hutus and Twas (the last class in the caste system), say that the Tutsi origins came from Ethiopia. As a result, Hutus subject the Tutsis under "outsiders." The story takes a turn when colonialism takes place in Rwanda. The Belgian government changed the classification of each person by it depending on ethnicity, rather than class. In addition, the Belgians declared the Tutsi ethnicity as the superior race. With the minority gaining political control, it is highly vulnerable to violence caused by the majority. Similar in other areas, European colonialism stirred up problems between the two groups that ultimately led to further chaos in Rwanda.