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.