The skulls of victims show gashes and signs of violence

The Rwandan genocide was the organized murder of up to one million Rwandans in 1994. It is commonly portrayed as an eruption of ethnic conflict in which militias of the Hutu ethnic majority, with the connivance of the Hutu-dominated government, attempted to carry out an ethnic cleansing of the minority Tutsis, and of Hutu moderates who opposed the genocide. Other explanations focus on the role of political elites in mobilizing and arming supporters. Despite warnings before and intelligence during the genocide about the scale of the violence, the United Nations declined to take positive action. The failure to act became the focus of bitter recriminations towards the policymakers of the UN such as Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh, and nations such as France and the United States. Aftermath of Rwandan Genocide photo taken 2001 during the visit of US Rep. ... Aftermath of Rwandan Genocide photo taken 2001 during the visit of US Rep. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Hutu is the name given to one of the three ethnic groups occupying Burundi and Rwanda. ... The term ethnic cleansing refers to various policies of forcibly removing people of another ethnic group. ... The Tutsi are one of three native peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa: the other two being the Twa and the Hutu. ... Look up Genocide in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Genocide has been defined as the deliberate killing of people based on their ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, or (sometimes) politics, as well as other deliberate actions leading to the physical elimination of any of the above categories. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh is the former foreign minister of Cameroon, best known for his role as the head of UNAMIR, the small force dispatched by the United Nations to Rwanda in an effort to keep the peace between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. ...

The genocide ended when a Tutsi Rwandese Patriotic Army invaded from neighboring Uganda, and a Tutsi-led government took power. In the aftermath of the genocide, hundreds of thousands of Hutu refugees fled into eastern Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The violence and its memory continue to affect the country and the region. Both the First and Second Congo Wars trace their origins to the genocide, and it continues to be a reference point for the Burundian Civil War. The Rwandese Patriotic Front (sometimes referred to as the Rwandan Patriotic Front, abbreviated as RPF) is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. ... The First Congo War was a conflict from late 1996 to 1997 in which Zairean President Mobutu Sésé Seko was overthrown by rebel forces backed by foreign powers such as Uganda and Rwanda. ... The Second Congo War was a conflict taking place largely in the territory of Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) that began in 1998 and officially ended in 2002. ... The Burundi Civil War is driven by ethnic rivalries between Hutu and Tutsi tribal factions of Burundi. ...

Background

Rwanda is one of the few states in Africa to closely follow its ancestral borders. The Kingdom of Rwanda, controlled by a Tutsi royal family, ruled the region throughout recorded history. While the upper echelons of this society were largely Tutsi, racial divisions were not stark. Many Hutu were among the nobility and significant intermingling took place. The majority of the Tutsi, who made up 15-18% of the population, were poor peasants, as were most of the Hutu. The Kingdom of Banyarwanda or Rwanda was founded in the 15th century by a pastoral tribe, the Tutsi. ...

Colonial history

In 1890 the country was given to the Germans at a conference in Brussels, but there was virtually no German presence in the area until the end of the century. The Belgians were awarded some German spoils after the First World War, including Rwanda. They tended to simplify matters; transforming a majority Tutsi elite into a solely Tutsi elite, with position in society determined by ethnicity. Colonial identity cards even used ethnic affiliation as a classification despite the fact that Tutsis and Hutus shared many cultural characteristics including geography, language and traditional practices. Tutsis enjoyed privileged status under Belgian rule and were able to secure better jobs and better education than Hutus for the next two decades. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

Belgium controlled both Rwanda and neighbouring Burundi from the end of the First World War until independence in 1962. Belgian colonialism, in Rwanda and Burundi as well as the Belgian Congo, was marked by brutality and incompetence. Many have accused the Belgian system of leaving its colonies utterly unprepared for independence, and all three countries have had violent and unhappy histories since their independence. The portion of the Great Lakes region controlled by Britain in western Tanzania and Uganda has not been marked by the same violence. 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... World map of colonialism circa 1945. ... On November 15, 1908, King Leopold II of Belgium formally relinquished personal control of the Congo Free State and the renamed Belgian Congo came under the administration of the Belgian parliament, a system which lasted until independence was granted in 1960. ... The Great Lakes of Africa are a series of lakes in and around the Great Rift Valley. ...

Self-government

In preparation for the Belgian pull out, elections brought the Hutu nationalist Party of the Hutu Emancipation Movement (PARMEHUTU) to power in 1959. They launched a program of advancing the power of the Hutu majority, largely condoned in the West. While the Tutsi had been the favourites of the colonial powers, perception shifted as the Tutsi became viewed as feudal overlords. It was thus seen as proper that the Tutsi leadership was ousted in favour of rule by the Hutu majority. This also led to a downplaying of the violence that was associated with this process. Some 20,000 Tutsi were killed and an additional 200,000 fled to neighbouring countries. The skulls of victims show gashes and signs of violence The Rwandan Genocide was the organized murder of up to one million Rwandans in 1994. ... This article discusses the history of Rwanda. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This article is in need of attention. ... The Wikipedia community consider the subject of this article important to the encyclopedia. ... People Political parties CDR: Coalition pour la défense de la république (Coalition for the Defense of the Republic) FPR or RPF: Front patriotique rwandais (Rwandan Patriotic Front) MDR: Mouvement démocratique républicain (Republican Democratic Movement) MRND: Mouvement Républicain Nationale pour la Démocratie et le D... References Barnett, Michael. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

After independence, PARMEHUTU established a one-party rule based upon Hutu nationalism. In 1964 and again in 1974, programs were initiated in which large numbers of Tutsi were killed and more were forced into exile. 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

In 1973 Juvénal Habyarimana seized power in a military coup, ousting PARMEHUTU, but continuing to rely on Hutu nationalism to stay in power. 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (March 8, 1937 - April 6, 1994) was president of Rwanda from 1973 until his death in 1994. ...

Other causes of the violence

Another school of thought argues that the violence in the region is a result of the same European theories of race that lead to the Holocaust. These ideas were propagated by John Hanning Speke. Unlike the other mixed states of Africa, Rwandans were considered by Europeans to be on the border between Blacks and the "more noble" Hamites. Tutsis were viewed as Hamites and Hutus as inferior Bantus. This ingrained racism was reversed upon independence when the majority Hutus took to viewing the Tutsis as foreign invaders and not true Rwandans. Similar divisions have led to violence in other parts of northeast Africa, most notably in Sudan. Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II, starting in 1941 and continuing through 1945. ... John Hanning Speke (May 4, 1827 – September 15, 1864) was an officer in the British Indian army, who made three voyages of exploration to Africa. ... The term Hamitic refers to peoples traditionally believed to have been descended from Ham, one of Noahs sons. ... The Tutsi are one of three native peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa: the other two being the Twa and the Hutu. ... Hutu is the name given to one of the three ethnic groups occupying Burundi and Rwanda. ... The Bantu refer to over 400 different ethnic groups in Africa, from Cameroon to South Africa, united by a common language family, the Bantu languages, and in many cases common customs. ...

Others see an economic explanation for the violence. The Great Lakes region, with rich soil and a more temperate climate because of its altitude, is one of the most densely populated parts of Africa. This has led to a great deal of competition for scarce land and resources. World population increase. ...

Jared Diamond, in his book Collapse, argues that this overpopulation was a contributing factor to the violence, as in one area where only a single Tutsi lived, 5% of the 2000 Hutu inhabitants were also killed. Diamond claims that the mayhem of the genocide provided a pretext for some Rwandans to kill their wealthier neighbors and seize their land. Jared Mason Diamond (born September 10, 1937) is an American author, evolutionary biologist, physiologist, biogeographer, and Jew. ... Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed cover Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed is a 2004 English-language book by University of California, Los Angeles geography professor Jared M. Diamond. ...

Many Rwandans claim that there was little inter-ethnic rivalry until it was deliberately encouraged by the Juvénal Habyarimana government as a ploy to counter Paul Kagame and the Rwandese Patriotic Front's largely Tutsi invasion on October 1, 1990. Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (March 8, 1937 - April 6, 1994) was president of Rwanda from 1973 until his death in 1994. ... Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (born October 23, 1957) is the president of Rwanda, and was a founder of the Rwandese Patriotic Front and its military commander during the Rwandan Civil War and Rwandan Genocide. ... The Rwandese Patriotic Front (sometimes referred to as the Rwandan Patriotic Front, abbreviated as RPF) is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Finally, one controversial analysis locates the conflict in the wider regional context of a transfer of power from Francophone to Anglophone spheres of influence. By this account [1] (http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CA4BD.htm) the instability in the region was (and remains) due to the end of the Cold War and a realignment of central Africa away from France and Belgium, towards Uganda and its Western sponsors, the USA and the UK. A Francophone is a person who speaks French natively or by adoption (i. ... An anglophone is someone who speaks English natively or by adoption. ... The Cold War (1947-1991) was the open yet restricted rivalry that developed after World War II between groups of nations practicing different ideologies and political systems. ...

There is some circumstantial evidence suggesting US approval of the RPF's military takeover, begun in 1990:

• Training provided for Kagame and other RPF officers at Fort Leavenworth immediately prior to and during their invasion from Uganda is officially acknowledged.
• Specific training in Surface-to-air missile deployment is alleged, alongside less substantial claims that the US supplied the SAM missiles used to kill Habyarimana. [2] (http://www.allthingspass.com/journalism.php?jid=23)
• Two Ugandan emissaries were briefly charged in 1992 with attempting illegally to purchase TOW missiles [3] (http://www.africaintelligence.com/ps/AN/Arch/ION/ION_540.asp) in Orlando, Florida — formerly a distribution hub of TOW weapons in the Iran-Contra affair.
• US and UK diplomacy apparently did nothing to halt the destabilising RPF invasion until June 1993 [4] (http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/co_mission/unomurbackgr.html), by which time a stalemate had in any case been reached.
• Doubts were raised [5] (http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/rwanda/2004/0312blackbox.htm) about the handling by UN investigators of a black box thought to be from Habyarimana's plane, which was lost at UN headquarters for 10 years. The black box was later determined to be unrelated to that crash. [6] (http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/rwanda/2004/0607tied.htm)
• American reluctance to permit an effective UN intervention, a matter of record [7] (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/power.htm), may be portrayed as permitting the RPF an opportunity to seize the territory.

In 1827, Colonel Henry Leavenworth established a post on the bluffs overlooking the western bank of the Missouri River to protect the fur trade, safeguard commerce on the Santa Fe Trail and maintain the peace among the inhabitants. ... A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A tow is an untwisted bundle of continuous filaments. ... A Time Magazine cover of Oliver Norths testifying in front of the U.S. Congress In the Iran-Contra Affair (also known as Irangate), United States President Ronald Reagans administration was involved in the sale of arms to Iran, which was engaged in a bloody war with its... June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Prelude to genocide

Another source of mounting tensions in 1990 was the grumblings of the Tutsi diaspora in refugee camps ringing the nation, particularly from Uganda. Rwanda had been given independence before Uganda, and the early Tutsi outcasts saw history played out in 30 years of Uganda's history, from independence from Britain, to a fledgeling democracy, and on to Idi Amin and successive military overthrows. Rwandans fought alongside Ugandans, where they had helped depose Milton Obote with Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army and saw his installation as president in January 1986. 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Idi Amin Dada Idi Amin Dada Oumee (May 17, 1928, Koboko, Uganda – August 16, 2003, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), army officer and President of Uganda (1971 - 1979), whose regime was notorious for its brutality. ... Obote pictured at the beginning of his second regime in 1980 Apollo Milton Obote (born December 28, 1924) was President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and again from 1980 to 1985. ... Museveni is viewed as part of a new generation of African leaders. ... The National Resistance Army (NRA) began as a guerilla army of Uganda in the 1980s, led by Yoweri Museveni. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The mainly Tutsi Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) was formed in 1985 under Paul Kagame and saw an opportunity in their own country to demand recognition of their rights as Rwandans, including the right of return. On October 1, 1990 RPF forces invaded Rwanda from their base in neighboring Uganda. The rebel force, composed primarily of Tutsis, blamed the government for failing to democratize and resolve the problems of some 500,000 Tutsi refugees living in diaspora around the world. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (born October 23, 1957) is the president of Rwanda, and was a founder of the Rwandese Patriotic Front and its military commander during the Rwandan Civil War and Rwandan Genocide. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in Leap years). ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Rwandan government portrayed the invasion as an attempt to bring the Tutsi ethnic group back into power. International reaction was ambiguous. The violence increased ethnic tensions as Hutus rallied around the President. Habyarimana himself reacted by immediately repressing Tutsis and Hutus who were perceived to be in league with Tutsi interests. Habyarimana justified these acts by proclaiming it was the intent of the Tutsis to restore a kind of Tutsi feudal system and thus to enslave the Hutu race.

Arusha Accords

See main article Arusha accords The Arusha Accords (also known as the Arusha Peace Agreement, or the Arusha negotiations) were a set of five accords (or protocols) signed by the Rwandese Patriotic Front and the Government of Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania on 4 August 1993, ending the civil war. ...

The war dragged on for almost two years. Talks began July 12, 1992, a cease-fire took effect July 31, and political talks began August 10, 1992. The Arusha accords were signed after protracted negotiations under the auspices of the Organization of African Unity, until June 24, 1993, with a meeting in Rwanda July 19 to July 25, 1993. Final signing was on August 4, 1993. July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining, as the final day of July. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag of the Organisation of African Unity, later also used by the African Union. ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ...

The accords fixed a timetable for an end to the fighting and a start of political talks, leading to a peace accord and power sharing, while authorizing a neutral military observer group under the auspices of the Organization for African Unity. However, the relations continued to be strained.

Preparations for the genocide

During this period the rhetoric of Hutu nationalism escalated. Radio stations, particularly Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) and newspapers, began a campaign of hate and fear, broadcasting and publishing material referring to the Tutsi as subhuman and making veiled calls for violence. Radical Hutu groups started to amass weapons, and the nation became increasingly polarized as neighbourhoods became exclusively populated by only one group. Radio Télévision Libre de Mille Collines (RTLM) was a Rwandan radio station which broadcast from 8 July 1993 to 31 July 1994. ...

According to Linda Melvern [8] (http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/events/melvern/melvern.php), a British investigative reporter who was given access to official records, the genocide was well organised. By the time the killing started, the militia in Rwanda was 30,000 strong — one militia member for every ten families — and organized nationwide, with representatives in every neighborhood. Some militia members were able to acquire AK-47 assault rifles by completing requisition forms. Other weapons such as grenades required no paperwork and were widely distributed. Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947 g. ... The word grenade can mean:- The well-known hand grenade commonly used by soldiers. ...

The genocide was at least partly financed with money misappropriated from international aid programs, such as the funding provided by the World Bank and the IMF under a Structural Adjustment Program. It is estimated that US$ 134 million was spent on genocide preparation in Rwanda — already one of the poorest and most troubled nations on Earth — with some $4.6 million spent on machetes, hoes, axes, razors, and hammers alone. It is estimated that such spending allowed the distribution of one new machete to every three Hutu males. This article should be merged with [[{{{with}}}]] development aid and humanitarian aid Foreign aid, international aid or development assistance is when one country helps another country through some form of donation. ... The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in Romance languages: BIRD), better known as the World Bank, is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by WWII. Now, its mission has expanded to fight poverty by means of financing states. ... The flag of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the international organization entrusted with overseeing global financial system‘s current trade account balances of member states. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... Machete The machete (International Phonetic Alphabet: ) is a cleaver-like tool that looks like a very large bread knife. ... The hoe is a hand tool used in farming and gardening. ... Firefighter with a fire-axe An axe (also spelt as ax) is a tool with a metal blade that is securely fastened at a 90 degree angle to a handle, usually of wood, while a blade fastened horizontally is called an adze. ... A razor is an edge tool (primarily, used in shaving). ... A hammer has a primary meaning of a really hot chick. ...

According to Melvern, the Prime Minister of Rwanda, Jean Kambanda, revealed [9] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3572887.stm) that the genocide was openly discussed in cabinet meetings, and how one cabinet minister said that she was "personally in favour of getting rid of all Tutsi… without the Tutsi all of Rwanda's problems would be over".

Initial assassinations

On April 6, 1994, the aeroplane carrying President Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, the President of Burundi, was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali. Both presidents were killed when the plane crashed. The exact responsibility for this act is not known. Recent reports suggest it was radical Hutu nationalists in the presidential guard. Cyprien Ntaryamira (1955–1994), was President of Burundi from February 5, 1994 until he was assassinated on April 6. ... List of Rulers and Heads of State of Burundi (Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office) Kingdom of Burundi Republic of Burundi Affiliations:- See also:- Burundi Heads of Government of Burundi Colonial Heads of Burundi Colonial Heads of Burundi (Urundi) Colonial Heads of Burundi (Ruanda-Urundi) Lists of... Kigali, population 330,000 (1997), is the capital city of Rwanda and its largest city, lying in the centre of the nation. ...

However, in January 2000 three Tutsi informants told the United Nations that they were part of an elite strike team that carried out the assassination of the Hutu president. They told UN investigators in 1997 that the killing of president Juvénal Habyarimana was carried out "with the assistance of a foreign government" under the overall command of Paul Kagame, currently (2005) the president of Rwanda. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (born October 23, 1957) is the president of Rwanda, and was a founder of the Rwandese Patriotic Front and its military commander during the Rwandan Civil War and Rwandan Genocide. ...

UN investigators had believed that Hutu extremists within the family circle of Mr. Habyarimana had killed him. At the time, Habyarimana was involved in talks that aimed at sharing power with the Rwandese Patriotic Front. The informants told the investigators that the front decided to kill Habyarimana because the group was not pleased with the slow pace of the talks.

The person charged by the UN with inquiring into the assassinations in 1994, Mr. Rene Degni-Ségui, affirmed in front of the Belgian senate [10] (http://www.senate.be/www/?MIval=/publications/viewPubDoc&TID=16778570&LANG=fr#1-611/7_185) 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

"Concerning the attack of the presidential plane, it is the Gordian knot of this story. As soon as I took my duties, I went to Geneva. I had in audience the ambassador of France because my mandate specified well that I was to investigate this subject. I asked whether France could place at my disposal the black box of the presidential plane. He said to me:"I understand, I will refer about it to my government" Thereafter, he indicated to me that the government did not have this black box. I then went to Kigali, where I met the military staff. I asked them: "Can I have the black box?" There were four soldiers, the head of staff and others. The head of staff said to me: "the black box is with the military" I said to him: "But yourselves, you are the military" And finally, he said to me: "We do not have it, ask France" I was thus returned one with the other, and finally, there was a certain Baril captain (sic: misspelled for Captain Paul Barril) who claimed to have the box — and I asked the United Nations to place at my disposal a board of inquiry with an expert in ballistics, in order to make research. Indeed, meanwhile, it was said that the ICAO could not make the investigation, because the plane was not a civil aircraft, but a military aircraft. And one thus needed a board of inquiry. I requested it from the United Nations, and it was answered me that there was no budget for that. The Rwandan government had also asked me to investigate this subject. And in one of my reports, I precisely recall, I draw the alarm bell, for saying to make quickly before it is too late. I even fear that it is too late now. So that, up to now, I did not achieve this task before I have to leave"

This high-level attack was an unambiguous signal to all Rwandans. Those who were going to kill knew what they had to do, those who were of Tutsi, or the moderate Hutu, understood at once that they would be attacked.

On the night of the 6 to April 7 the staff of the Armed Forces of Rwanda (FAR) and Colonel Bagosora clashed verbally with UNAMIR Force Commander General Roméo Dallaire, who pointed out the legal authority of the Prime Minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, to take the control of the situation as outlined in Arusha Accords. Colonel Bagosora disputed the authority. General Dallaire decided to give an escort of UNAMIR personnel to Mrs Uwilingiyimana to protect her overnight and to allow her to send a calming message on the radio the next morning. By then, the presidential guard occupied the radio station and Mrs Uwilingiyimana had to cancel her speech. In the middle of the day, she was assassinated by the presidential guard. The Belgian UNAMIR soldiers sent to protect her were later found massacred. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda was a relief mission instituted by the United Nations to aid the implementation of the Arusha Accords, signed August 4, 1993 in order to ease tensions between the Hutu-dominated Rwandese government and the Tutsi rebels (for the most part centered in the... Romeo Dallaire Lt. ... Agathe Uwilingiyimana (1953 - 7 April 1994) was a Rwandan political figure. ...

Other moderate officials favorable to the Arusha Accords were quickly assassinated. Faustin Twagiramungu escaped execution as he was passed to the safety of UNAMIR.

Genocide

Unearthed bodies at a massacre site

As though the assassination was a signal, military and militia groups began rounding up and killing all Tutsis they could capture as well as the political moderates irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds. Large numbers of opposition politicians were also murdered. Many nations evacuated their nationals from Kigali and closed their embassies as violence escalated. National radio urged people to stay in their homes, and the government funded station RTLM broadcast vitriolic attacks against Tutsis and Hutu moderates. Hundreds of roadblocks were set up by the militia in the capital Kigali and around the country. General Dallaire and UNAMIR, escorting Tutsis in Kigali, were unable to do anything as Hutus kept escalating the violence and even started targeting, via RTLM, UNAMIR personnel and General Dallaire. Victims of the Rwandan Genocide. ... Victims of the Rwandan Genocide. ...

The killing swiftly spread from Kigali to all corners of the country; between April 6 and the beginning of July, a genocide of unprecedented swiftness officially left 937,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus dead at the hands of organized bands of militias known as the Interahamwe. One such massacre occurred at Nyarubuye. Even ordinary citizens were called on by local officials and government-sponsored radio to kill their neighbours and those who refused to kill were often killed themselves. "Either you took part in the massacres or you were massacred yourself," said one Hutu who was forced to take part. The president's MRND party was implicated in organizing many aspects of the genocide. April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... The Interahamwe, meaning Those Who Stand Together in Kinyarwanda, was the largest of the militias formed by the Hutu ethnic majority of Rwanda and was responsible for many of the deaths in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. ... The Nyarubuye Massacre is the name given to the killing of an estimated 20,000 civilians at the Nyarubuye Roman Catholic Church and took place on 15-April 16, 1994 in the province of Kibungo, 140 km (60 miles) east of the Rwandan capital Kigali. ... Mouvement Républicain Nationale pour la Démocratie et le Développement (MRND, English: National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development) is a now-defunct political party in Rwanda. ...

Most of the victims were killed in their villages or in towns, often by their neighbors and fellow villagers. The Interahamwe mostly killed their victims by chopping them up with machetes, although some army units shot and killed the Tutsis and moderate Hutus. In some towns the victims were forcibly crammed into churches and school buildings, where Hutu extremist gangs then massacred them. In June 1994 about 3000 Tutsis sought refuge in a Catholic church in Kivumu. Local Interahamwe then used bulldozers supplied by the local police to knock down the church building. People who tried to escape were hacked down with machetes. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

UNAMIR

For the next couple of weeks, many questionable decisions were made by members of the United Nations Security Council. The UN had a peacekeeping force in the country, UNAMIR — the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda.

UNAMIR's Force Commander General Dallaire became aware of the genocide taking place, and pleaded for reinforcements of 2000 soldiers and logistical support. The UN Security Council refused, several journalists laying blame on a gun-shy US President Bill Clinton administration who refused to provide requested material aid after the failed US efforts in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was directly "taken to task," in his words, for even suggesting that UNAMIR should raid Hutu militants' weapons caches, whose location had been disclosed to him by a reliable government source. Future Secretary General Kofi Annan, who was undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, insisted on 'impartiality' even in the face of genocide, to Dallaire's frustration. Annan's deputy, Iqbal Riza, who was intimately involved in the UN's weak response, would be kept by Annan as his deputy even after assuming the UN's top role. Annan would eventually be held accountable by the UN inquiry into its role in the genocide both for blocking Dallaire's proposed action, as well as failing to mention his alarming report to the Security Council. A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... Order: 42nd President Vice President: Al Gore Term of office: January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001 Preceded by: George H. W. Bush Succeeded by: George W. Bush Date of birth: August 19, 1946 Place of birth: Hope, Arkansas First Lady: Hillary Rodham Clinton Political party: Democratic William Jefferson Clinton (born... Mogadishu A Mogadishu boy straddles the remains of a US Black Hawk helicopter during the 1992-1995 UN peacekeeping operation Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho) is a city in eastern Africa, on the Indian Ocean. ... Order: 7th Secretary-General Term of Office: January 1, 1997–present Predecessor: Boutros Boutros-Ghali Successor: incumbent Born: April 8, 1938 Place of birth: Kumasi, Ghana Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanian diplomat and the seventh and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ...

The UN appeared largely detached from the realities on the ground. In the midst of the crisis, Dallaire was instructed to have UNAMIR focus only on evacuating foreign nationals from Rwanda, and the change in orders even led Belgian peacekeepers to abandon a technical school filled with 2,000 refugees, while Hutu militants waited outside, drinking beer and chanting "Hutu Power." After the Belgians left, the militants entered the school and massacred those inside, including hundreds of children. Four days later, the Belgians withdrew their peacekeepers, and the Security Council voted to reduce UNAMIR down to 260 men.

The administrative head of UNAMIR was former Cameroonian foreign minister Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh, who has come under criticism for downplaying the significance of Dallaire's reports, and holding close ties to the Hutu militant elite. The Rwandese Patriotic Front claims to have intercepted secret communications to this effect between Booh-Booh and the Hutu-controlled Rwandan army, a fact which would make Booh-Booh's role in UNAMIR -- handed to him by UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali -- appear absurd. Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh is the former foreign minister of Cameroon, best known for his role as the head of UNAMIR, the small force dispatched by the United Nations to Rwanda in an effort to keep the peace between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. ... The Rwandese Patriotic Front (sometimes referred to as the Rwandan Patriotic Front, abbreviated as RPF) is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. ... Order: 6th Secretary-General Term of Office: January 1, 1992–December 31, 1996 Predecessor: Javier Pérez de Cuéllar Successor: Kofi Annan Born: November 14, 1922 Place of birth: Cairo, Egypt Boutros Boutros-Ghali (born November 14, 1922) was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to...

Following the Belgian forces' withdrawal after 10 soldiers were killed, General Dallaire consolidated his contingent of Canadian, Ghanian, and Dutch soldiers in urban areas and focused on providing areas of "safe control". His actions are credited with directly saving the lives of 20,000 Tutsis.

The new Rwandan government, led by interim President Théodore Sindikubwabo, worked hard to minimize international criticism. Rwanda at that time had a seat on the Security Council and its ambassador argued that the claims of genocide were exaggerated and that the government was doing all that it could to stop it. Representatives of the Rwandan Catholic Church, long associated with the radical Hutus in Rwanda, also used their links in Europe to reduce criticism. France, which felt the United States and United Kingdom would use the massacres to try to expand their influence in that francophone part of Africa, also worked to prevent a foreign intervention. Théodore Sindikubwabo - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ...

Finally, on May 17, 1994, the UN conceded that "acts of genocide may have been committed." By that time, the Red Cross estimated that 500,000 Rwandans had been killed. The UN agreed to send 5,500 troops to Rwanda, most of whom were to be provided by African countries. The UN also requested 50 armored personnel carriers from the United States. However, deployment of these forces was delayed due to arguments over their cost. The terms Red Cross and Red Crescent are often used as short names for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, or its two leading international organs, the ICRC and the IFRCS. This page is about the symbol itself, see respective articles for information about the organizations and movements. ... East German BRDMs on parade during celebrations of the 40th anniversary of East Germany in 1989 Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are light armoured fighting vehicles for the transport of infantry. ...

On June 22, with no sign of UN deployment taking place, the Security Council authorized French forces to land in Goma, Zaire on a humanitarian mission. They deployed throughout southwest Rwanda in an area they called "Zone Turquoise," quelling the genocide and stopping the fighting there, but often arriving in areas only after the Tutsi had been forced out or killed. Goma is a large city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

RPF renewed invasion

The RPF battalion stationed in Kigali under the Arusha Accords came under attack immediately after the shooting down of the president's plane. The battalion fought its way out of Kigali and joined up with RPF units in the north.

Refugee camp in Zaire, 1994

The RPF renewed its civil war against the Rwandese Hutu government when it received word that the genocidal massacres had begun. Its leader, Paul Kagame, directed RPF forces in neighboring countries such as Uganda and Tanzania to invade the country, battling the Hutu forces and Interahamwe militias who were committing the massacres. The resulting civil war raged concurrently with the genocide for two months. Refugee camp for Rwandans located in what is now the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the Rwandan Genocide Original caption: Rwandan refugees making camp in Kimbumba. ... Refugee camp for Rwandans located in what is now the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following the Rwandan Genocide Original caption: Rwandan refugees making camp in Kimbumba. ...

The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the genocide in July 1994, 100 days after it started, but approximately two million Hutu refugees — some of whom participated in the genocide and feared Tutsi retribution — fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Thousands of them died in epidemics of cholera and dysentery that swept the refugee camps. The Rwandan genocide and the resulting large numbers of refugees destabilized the regional balance of power along the Zairean border, resulting in the start of the First Congo War, which set the stage for the Second Congo War that continues to trouble the region. distribution of cholera Cholera (also called Asiatic cholera) is an infectious disease of the gastrointestinal tract caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. ... Dysentery is a severe diarrhea illness often associated with blood in the feces. ... The First Congo War was a conflict from late 1996 to 1997 in which Zairean President Mobutu Sésé Seko was overthrown by rebel forces backed by foreign powers such as Uganda and Rwanda. ... The Second Congo War was a conflict taking place largely in the territory of Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) that began in 1998 and officially ended in 2002. ...

France and Belgium refused to recognize the new government, but it was supported by the United States and Germany.

Relief efforts

Gisozi Genocide Memorial near Kigali

The international community responded with one of the largest humanitarian relief efforts ever mounted. The U.S. was one of the largest contributors. UNAMIR was brought back up to strength after the RPF victory (and was called UNAMIR 2 thereafter). UNAMIR remained in Rwanda until March 8, 1996. Original caption: View from the Gisozi Genocide Memorial. ... Original caption: View from the Gisozi Genocide Memorial. ... Kigali, population 330,000 (1997), is the capital city of Rwanda and its largest city, lying in the centre of the nation. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Following an uprising by the ethnic Tutsi Banyamulenge people in eastern Zaire in October 1996 that marked the beginning of the First Congo War, a huge movement of refugees began which brought more than 600,000 back to Rwanda in the last two weeks of November. This massive repatriation was followed at the end of December 1996 by the return of 500,000 more from Tanzania, again in a huge, spontaneous wave. 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Justice, reconciliation, reforms

Poster of fugitives wanted for genocide in Rwanda

With the return of the refugees, the government began the long-awaited genocide trials, which got off to an uncertain start in the closing days of 1996 and inched forward in 1997. In 2001, the government began implementation of a participatory justice system, known as "gacaca" in order to address the enormous backlog of cases. Meanwhile, the United Nations set up the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, currently based in Arusha, Tanzania. Download high resolution version (580x773, 112 KB)Poster of Fugitives Wanted for Genocide in Rwanda source File links The following pages link to this file: Rwandan Genocide Categories: Department of State images ... Download high resolution version (580x773, 112 KB)Poster of Fugitives Wanted for Genocide in Rwanda source File links The following pages link to this file: Rwandan Genocide Categories: Department of State images ... The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is a court under the auspices of the United Nations for the prosecution of offenses committed in Rwanda during the incident of genocide which occurred there during April, 1994, commencing on April 6. ... Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. ...

Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms — including Rwanda's first ever local elections held in March 1999 — the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. A series of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremist insurgency, and Rwandan involvement in the First and Second Congo Wars in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The First Congo War was a conflict from late 1996 to 1997 in which Zairean President Mobutu Sésé Seko was overthrown by rebel forces backed by foreign powers such as Uganda and Rwanda. ... The Second Congo War was a conflict taking place largely in the territory of Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) that began in 1998 and officially ended in 2002. ...

On April 7, 2004, the President of the UN General Assembly, Julian Hunte of Saint Lucia, told a commemorative meeting which included representatives from the Security Council: "What a pity it is that the deliberate killing of the President of Rwanda, together with the President of Burundi, would not have caused a nation to mourn, but instead would have resulted in 100 days of terror and violence, in full view of the United Nations and the world". (Source: UN News Centre (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10344&Cr=rwanda)) United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. ... Julian Robert Hunte (born 1940) was the foreign minister of Saint Lucia from April 2001 to 26 October 2004, when he was succeeded by Petrus Compton. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ...

On March 31, 2005, the successor organization to the Interahamwe, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), finally condemned the genocides of 1994 and announced that they were putting an end to their civil war. March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... The Interahamwe, meaning Those Who Stand Together in Kinyarwanda, was the largest of the militias formed by the Hutu ethnic majority of Rwanda and was responsible for many of the deaths in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. ... The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda was the primary anti-Rwanda rebel group during the latter part of the Second Congo War. ...

See also

• Hotel Rwanda (a movie about Paul Rusesabagina, who ran a Kigali hotel that became a sanctuary for Tutsis and moderate Hutus fleeing the genocide)

Note that reference works may be found at the Bibliography of the Rwandan Genocide. Movie poster for Hotel Rwanda Hotel Rwanda is a 2004 theatrical film directed by Terry George. ... Paul Rusesabagina receiving the Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity from Bob Dole in 2000 Paul Rusesabagina (born June 15, 1955 in Murama-Gitarama, Rwanda) was the assistant manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines, and later the manager of the Hôtel des Diplomates, both in Kigali, Rwanda. ... References Barnett, Michael. ...