Rwanda: Genesis of 1994 genocide

The Kigali Genocide Memorial which opened in 2004, sits on an elevation. It is a neat place with well tended lawns, a rose garden, and a few buildings. If the dead buried there could see this floral place, they would be happy that their earthly cloaks lie buried within these green plots. The beauty, peace […]

The Kigali Genocide Memorial which opened in 2004, sits on an elevation. It is a neat place with well tended lawns, a rose garden, and a few buildings. If the dead buried there could see this floral place, they would be happy that their earthly cloaks lie buried within these green plots. The beauty, peace and architecture of the place, inspires. The memorial is an Ode to the dead, but it may also be an Ode to Life. The living in Africa have many lessons to learn from the dead, who speak through vivid symbolism at the Kigali Memorial. There is so much death and so much life dwelling in such proximity. On the other hand, the  story of the genocide hurts. There is a bookshop within, as well as a museum on the genocide, and there are friendly guides as well. A sign indicates that a visitor should collect a rose,and place same  by the graveside  before leaving. There is an emphasis on silence as a way of honouring the dead. You descend a few well cut steps to get to the graves. To the left a Cleric leads a few others in a short prayer for a departed one. His white habit is buffeted by the rising wind, but he continues to utter the prayer in a soft voice. Tears roll down the face of a lady who stands close to the cleric. Then the visitor comes across a wall, upon which are inscribed the names of the departed. Another series of steps lead the visitor downwards, where more lie buried.
Then  it starts to rain for it is the season, but the rain does not hide the fact that within the memorial lie  the bodies of 250,000 souls who perished in the genocide of 1994,but the full figure of those who perished in the event is well over 1 million. The Kigali memorial is a simple powerful place, rich with memories of the past, and equally rich in terms of its silent warning about the future. One of the best sources  of information on the genocide, apart from the Memorial   which has an amazing gallery on the event, is a little known site which has been given the name Rwandapedia, a brilliant matchless coinage by any standard. The circle of Rwanda’s history is extensively recorded there.

The issues raised in Rwandapedia, which is  backed by dramatic photographs and rich records, and set up by the government of Rwanda, sheds  light on the origins of the genocide, and it clearly shows that the initial  tensions between the various groups in Rwanda  had their beginnings in colonial times,and that colonial policies in Rwanda helped to deepen the cleavages  in the country. In other words the genocide was the climax to a system of division and suspicion that has its roots in colonial Rwanda. For instance, Rwandapedia   writes “The Europeans noticed physical differences between  Rwandans, and used these differences to distinguish them as Hutu, Tutsi or Twa. Perceiving the Tutsi as more intelligent, Europeans chose to collaborate with them as colonial rulers.” The site then adds “ethnic divisions deepen when the designation of Hutu, Tutsi or Twa becomes mandatory on identity cards in 1933.”

At this  point the various groups in the country began to see themselves as different tribes, and were increasingly aware that one group was being favoured by the colonial power. These new theories are spread and reinforced by Christian missionaries. “This was to create challenges and difficulties later on in the country. Soon, the Church authorities inspired a group of Hutu’s to draft the Hutu manifesto. According to Rwandapedia” colonial authorities and some catholic church leaders encouraged  a group of nine Hutu leaders to draft a ‘Hutu manifesto’. It portrays the Tutsi as an obstacle to the development of the Hutu people. The manifesto also asks that the indication of ethnic origin be kept on identity papers, and that doctors be consulted on the categorization of persons of mixed parentage. ‘Then by September 1959, political parties are formed, which includes some that have an openly anti Tutsi orientation.
Then the first in the series of genocides against the Tutsi occurs. The first  of these seems to have happened in 1959, and this occurred during what has been called the ‘Hutu Revolution.’ About 4,000 Tutsis were eliminated during this ‘revolution.’ Between 1960 and 1967 more attacks against the Tutsi continued, with many Tutsis  fleeing to neighbouring countries such as Uganda and Burundi. By January 1964 some 35,000 Tutsis were slaughtered in Bugesera and three other communities. This was followed by another slaughter of Tutsis in Bugesera in 1966.More killings occur in 1973 in the ‘Tutsi get out of here’ operation. On  October 8, 1990, between 500-1,000 Tutsis are killed in the Prefecture of Byumba. Later in 1990, 350 Tutsis are killed after government sensitises  the local population to carry out massacres of the Tutsi. Then, in December 1990, things reached a climax with the publication in Kangura, a pro regime extremist newspaper, of the ‘Ten Commandments of Hutus’ aimed at mobilizing the Hutu to eliminate the Tutsi. On January 22, 1991, more Tutsis are killed in a number of Prefectures within the country. As a complement to the numerous genocides against the Tutsi is the role of the Church.

Rwandapedia states “Bishop Andre Perraudin writes the ‘Lent Letter’. It is circulated in Churches all over Rwanda, and outlines the Churches support for, and legitimization of, ethnic division.” Side by side with the various genocide campaigns against the Tutsi, is  the use of hate words which were also amplified by the media. An example occurred in December 1990 when, a pro regime extremist newspaper, published the ‘Ten Commandments of the Hutu’, aimed at mobilizing Hutu to exterminate Tutsi.” The media were also part of this campaign.

Rwandapedia argues in its record for July 8, 1993  “Radio Television Des Miles Collines (RTLM), a new pro genocide extremist radio station, begins broadcasting anti-Tutsi hate messages including dehumanizing names like ‘cockroaches’, and ‘snakes’. But the use of the name ‘Inyenzi’ or cockroach as a derogatory reference for the Tutsi, goes back to the year 1964, according to Rwandapedia. In the December 1993 edition, Kangura makes a grim prediction ‘Habyarimana will die in March 1994.’ In the wake of the hate campaign, the activities of various media groups, is the slow pile up of weapons. Rwandapedia  illustrates this point very well. It shows that in 1990 the government of Rwanda begins to stockpile weapons with Egypt and South Africa as the major supplies. Later, in March 1992 the Ministry of Defence buys a stockpile of weapons from Egypt at the cost of 6 million USD. Also in June 1992, Egypt concludes another arrangement to sell weapons to the Rwandan government. On October 19, 1992 the government of Rwanda buys weapons and ammunitions from South Africa worth 5.9 million USD.

Again, in November 1992, Egypt concludes another deal to sell weapons to Rwanda. In May 1993, a French arms dealer agrees to sell 12 million USD worth of arms to Rwanda. The account goes on and on like this until the explosion of April 6, 1994. On that day President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane is shot down as it approaches the Kigali airport at about 8:23 pm. Earlier, Kangura had predicted that President Habyarimana will die in March 1994. Ahead of this, it had published an edition in which the specific weapons the Hutu will use in the campaign against the Tutsi are mentioned. Following the shooting of the plane, large scale elimination of the Tutsi begins. What led to the genocide in Rwanda? One of these is the activity of the colonial power which raised one tribe above another, the presence of ethnic militia, the preponderance and use of hate words even by sections of the media, the split of the country along ethnic lines, and the rapid acquisition of arms and ammunition.

But things have changed in Rwanda today, 20 years after the genocide. Citizens are encouraged to see themselves as Rwandans, rather than Tutsi, Twa or Hutu. A deep inner urge to forgive the perpretrators of the genocide, as well as a genuine wish to confess to crimes on the part of the militia, are some of the energies driving the society today. The recent Kwibuka 20 event in the country celebrated these points and more. The  fresh new energy is working, and Rwanda is now making  progress in  many directions as well. Many groups are connecting with this   new liberating thesis on life. In closing, a brief comment on the ethnic militias in Rwanda. In 1994, there were just  two militia which carried out the genocide in the country, and these were the machete wielding ‘Interahamwe’ and the ‘Impuzamagabi’ one of which was capable of dispatching 1,000 persons in  a record 20 minutes, states Jean Pierre Turatsinze, an Interahamwe militia commander.