Rwandan Genocide

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In 1994, three different ethnic groups made up Rwanda. The three ethnic groups included: Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The Hutu made up the majority of the population in Rwanda. Some Hutu extremist blamed the Tutsi for the country’s social, economic, and political pressures. Habyarimana, the president, used propaganda to increase the division between Hutu and Tutsi. Violence began after Habyrimana’s plane was shot down resulting in his death. As many as 800,000 people died in the genocide. Some say that the genocide resulted from choice of leaders to promote hatred and fear to keep them in power. The civil war and genocide ended when the Tutsi-dominated rebel group defeated the Hutu perpetrator regime. Later, President Paul Kagame took control. Many countries refused to accept the fact that there was a genocide occurring in Rwanda. However, these countries knew that there were preparations for the massive slaughter of the Tutsi, but they did nothing in preventing any of it.

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