The Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was a genocide that took place in 1994 in the African country Rwanda. Over approximately 100 days roughly 500,000 people lost their lives, which is 20% of the total population of this country. This genocide took place because of ethnic competition and tension between the minority Tutsi, who had controlled power for centuries and the majority Hutu people, who had come to power in the 1960’s. The assassination of Habyarimana the Hutu leader in April 1994 set off a violent reaction, when lead Hutu groups conducting mass killings of Tutsis resulting in 500,000 deaths and wiping out 20% of the population.
This graph represents the population of Rwanda from 1961-2003 the population is is millions. (ex. 4,100 = 4,100,000)
Geopolitics
The conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi does not rise from disagreements over language or religion but rather land and social class making this a geopolitical fight. The Tutsi believed to have greater wealth and social status, while the Hutu’s are usually cattle farmers with a lower social status and less wealth. On April 6, 1994, the Hutu president of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimani, was assassinated, thus sparking the genocide resulting in 500,000 deaths lasting 100 days. After the genocide the Tutsis regained control, forcing two million Hutus to flee to Burundi a near by African country. The conflict between these two groups is alive today, but hopefully will never reach to a point of another genocide.