RwandaBy: Divya and Diana

Background• The Belgians divided the people of Rwanda into 2 groups: Tutsis and Hutus• The Tutsis treated the Hutus very harshly and considered themselves as the higher

class.• By 1960s, the Hutu party won in a general election• During this time, over 20 000 Tutsis were killed and over 300 000 fled to other

countries.• In 1990, a rebel army know as Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) was created. This

army was made up of the children of the Tutsi refugees.• The RPF tried to invade Rwanda, but was unsuccessful because of the support

President Habyarimana (Hutu) got from France.• Due to these complications a civil was arose producing many casualties and

refugees.• To retain power, the Hutu government realized this it needed to eliminate the

Tutsis. • In 1994, the plane carrying President Habyarimana was shot down.• So a small group of Hutus planned on using this attack to start a genocide against

the Tutsis.

The Genocide

• In 3 months (1994), about 1 million Tutsis and some Hutus were killed.

• Women and children were specifically targeted.

• Also, millions of Rwandans were displaced or became refugees.

How did Canadian peacekeepers help?• In 1994,General Romeo Dallaire sent an urgent warning to UN

headquarters (“genocide fax”). • He explained that the Hutus were planning to register all

Tutsis so they could exterminate them and they killed 1 000 Tutsis in 20 minutes.

• Dallaire asked for 2 000 more peacekeepers to the 3 000 he already had. Instead, after 10 Belgian peacekeepers were killed, the UN cut Dallaire’s men to 500.

• He believed that the UN could have stopped this genocide. • The UN didn’t agree to his requests because not even one of

the UN countries were ready to pay the cost.• Romeo Dallaire maintained some safe areas for the

threatened people in Rwanda.

Outcome

• This genocide is know as an “extreme failure” of the international community to protect people who were the targets of this genocide.

• On July 4th 1994, the genocide had officially ended when the government was set up in Kigali and controlled by RPF.

• The UN, the United States, Belgium and the Anglican Church have all apologized for failing to stop the genocide.