Brief History of the Politics of Rwanda

The genocide in Rwanda was one of the most intensive killing campaigns in human history. It had its
roots in colonial experience. The victims were Tutsis and moderate Hutus: the perpetrators were
Hutus.

Early history: In earlier times, people who kept cattle in Rwanda were called Tutsi, and those who
grew crops were called Hutu. Physical differences between the two groups sharpened; Tutsis were
taller, narrower and thin-featured, whereas Hutus were shorter and stockier. They had a common
language (Kinyarwanda). There were also a minority group called the Twa who lived in the forests.
Intermarriage between Hutus and Tutsis did happen, but it wasn't frequent.
Colonisation: Rwanda was colonised first by the Germans, from 1894 to 1916, then by the Belgians.
Ideas of racial superiority, then current in Europe, percolated through into the colonial administration.
The colonisers decided that Tutsis and Hutus were different races, and the Tutsis with their more
"European" appearance were the "master race".
Birth of a Myth: Identity cards were introduced - Rwandans had to register as either Hutu, Tutsi or
Twa ; and the identity cards were used to discriminate against Hutus (and Twa). Hutus were not
allowed to be officials or have access to higher education. Tutsis collaborated with the European
clergymen and academics to write the first histories of Rwanda - and so a myth was born. In time,
even the Hutus themselves began to believe the storyline concocted by the Tutsis and the European
colonialists.
The fight for Independence and Reversal of Fortunes: In the 1950's the Tutsis led the struggle for
independence from the Belgians; and the Belgians switched allegiance to the Hutus. Rivalry between
Hutus and Tutsis intensified. Hutus were the majority group. Over 15,000 Tutsis were murdered and
another 100,000 fled into neighbouring countries. With the support of the Belgians, Hutus won the
local elections in 1960 and 1961, and 80% of Rwandans voted to end the (Tutsi) monarchy. Rwanda
gained independence from the Belgians in 1962.
1960s 1980s: Hutu dominance; Over the next 20-30 years Hutus were in control, and many
Tutsis fled to neighbouring countries of Uganda and Burundi. There was relative stability under
General Habyarimana's political party, the MRND, (Mouvement Revolutionnaire national pour le
Developpement.
Effect of the Slump in the price of coffee: Towards the end of the 1980s, the price of coffee
slumped, and General Habyarimana's party lost popular support. In 1990, the exiled Tutsis (mobilised
as the Rwandan Patriotic Front- RPF) marched over the border to stage a come-back. Disaffected

Hutus formed the Mouvement Democratique Republicain (the MDR) and were ready to join forces
with the RPF.
1990s - civil war and genocide: The struggle between the major political parties (the MRND and the
RPF/MDR) intensified. The UN sent a peace-keeping force and tried to broker an agreement, but
Hutu extremists took matters into their own hands in April 1994. Tutsis were picked out on the basis of
their height and hacked to death with machetes. Many taller Hutus were also slaughtered. Moderate
Hutus were also targets. Death squads went from house to house in the capital, Kigali. Then the
genocide spread from Kigali to the countryside. At least 50% of the Tutsi population were slaughtered.

The History of the genocide

In 1894 the Germans made it part of German East Africa. During WW1 the Belgian army took control.
Rwanda was made up of two groups of people, Hutus and Tutsis. There were more Hutus than
Tutsis but the ruling groups came from the Tutsis.
After WW1 the Belgian authorities used the Tutsis to control the population, but by doing this they
made the problems between the two groups much worse.
The Belgians put Tutsis in charge of all important areas in the government, leaving the Hutus as
second class citizens.
In 1959 there was a Hutu rebellion and the Tutsis lost power. An election was held and the Hutu
majority won. Major General Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, began ruling as a dictator.
In 1990, after pressure from the UN, Rwanda began to reform. At the same time Tutsi exiles formed
the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and invaded from Uganda, beginning a civil war. Peace talks led
to an agreement in 1994 which promised new elections and a return to democracy.
On the way back from signing this peace agreement Major General Habyarimana and the President of
Burundi were assassinated in a plane crash by members of their own Hutu parties who blamed the
Tutsis for the deaths. Over the next three days, virtually any Tutsi and moderate Hutu with any power
were systematically executed.
Roaming bands of organised Hutu militia, known as the Interhamwe went on to kill Tutsis across
the country for the next three months, approx 100 days.

As the Red Cross were estimating that hundreds of thousands were being machetted to death, the
UN reduced its peace keeping force from 2,500 to 270 soldiers. The RPF invaded again from Uganda
ultimately winning and bringing an end to the genocide in July 1994. Over the course of the genocide
nearly 1 million people were killed and more than 3 million fled to other countries creating the worlds
worst ever refugee crisis. The west then responded, launching the largest aid effort in history with
finished in March 1996.
A recent official estimate made by the Rwandan government was that over a million Rwandans
were killed in the 1990's. The international community knew what was happening, but did
nothing to help. Peacekeeping troops were withdrawn. On April 7, 2000, Belgium's prime
minister apologised for the international community's failure to intervene.