Rwanda Genocide Essay

In the 15th century, The Tutsis migrated from the horn of africa, Ethiopia, to Rwanda; home to the Hutu. The invasion was peaceful, despite the warrior skills of the Tutsi. Believing in a hierarchical society, they set up a monarchy which lasted up until German colonists arrived at Rwanda during WWI. As the war was ending, the colonial rule had switched from the Germans to the Belgians. These Belgian colonists saw the taller, stronger Tutsi warriors as superior to the Hutus, and offered them education and government roles. However, during the 1950s, the Belgians encouraged a democratic based system. The Tutsi did not like this system, as it would threaten their monarchy. 10 years later, the Hutu overthrew the Tutsi monarchy and gained independence. The Tutsi and Hutu tribes lived peacefully until in 1994, Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane was shot down by a rocket. There were many claims that the previous Tutsi president, Paul Kagame, were plotting the rocket attack.
Hatred towards the Tutsis built up when the Belgian colonists gave Tutsis better education and jobs, believing them to be the superior tribe. So when the colonists pushed forward the idea of democracy, the Hutu saw this as a chance to overthrow the Tutsi monarchy. Over 20,000 Tutsis were killed in the riots, forcing over 300,000 of them to take refuge in Burundi, Tanzania, and Urangi. In the time leading up to the massacre in 1994, all crises were blamed on the Tutsi. In April, 1994, Juvenal Habyarimana died when his plane was shot down by a rocket. Many people believed it to be the doing Paul Kagame, the previous president and Tutsi rebel group leader. Just hours later, the genocide broke out. Hutu were calling out to each other and encouraging other Hutu to kill their Tutsi neighbors. Some Hutu extremists bribed others by telling them they could claim the land and possessions of the Tutsi they