2. Historical Context of Rwandan
Genocide
The Rwandan genocide was among the
worst conflicts
The Belgians set the stage for a future
civil war
The French government supported
Juvenal Habyarimana's violent regime
The Rwandan massacre might have
been avoided
Preserved Skulls at the Memorial
3. Historical, Political and Social Factors
that Fueled the Genocide
President Mitterrand sided with the
Genocide's perpetrators
Individuals filtered new information
through their preconceived notions
The UN failed to respond to the
Rwandan genocide
The UN representatives made a
major misstep
Women Fleeing War Torn Areas
4. Humanity's Failure to Prevent
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan president would have been
persuaded to act more forcefully
The international community failed to
resist the horrors in 1959, the 1960s, and
the 1970s
The genocide in Rwanda should serve as
a warning
Peace can be maintained in the long run
despite the atrocities committed
Picture of Kigali Genocide Memorial
Editor's Notes
The Rwandan genocide was among the worst conflicts in recorded history (Berry and Carol 10). Ethnic violence had never been a part of Rwandan society before the colonial administration, but it played a major role in the country's genocide. Even while the Hutu who slaughtered the Tutsi had their unique motives, they all sprang from a common fear based on deeply held but mistaken beliefs about Rwanda's history. The masterminds of the genocide were themselves reared on distorted histories of the Tutsi; thus, they were able to spread these myths to the general populace expertly. In the eighteenth century, when Rwanda developed into a significant kingdom, the monarchs' authority was based on the strength of their people' armies and their wealth on the quantity of cattle in their herds.
The leaders of francophone African states have placed their trust in France to protect them against threats to their power, and the French government would not tolerate a victory for the RPF if this trust were to be jeopardized. Therefore, Mitterrand supported Habyarimana even though his government imprisoned, tortured, and killed innocent people based on ethnicity. While the Genocide was happening openly in front of the world's eyes, France rejected UN efforts to recognize and ensure the participation of the interim authority (Milnes 5). Some high-ranking French officials, including President Mitterrand, sided with the Genocide's perpetrators rather than those trying to stop it.
The genocide and civil war were very violent, yet the United Nations and the international community did little to stop them (Berry and Carol 53). The world's leading countries, including the United States and the United Nations, may not have been able to stop the atrocity with military force, but they might have prevented it from being aired. Further, the UN failed to respond to the Rwandan genocide because it lacked the necessary intelligence, personnel, and budget (Milnes 8). The United Nations has also been blamed because it failed to heed warnings in the lead-up to the conflict and instead relied too much on past examples. Also, individuals tended to filter new information through the lens of their preconceived notions and assumptions. As a result of widespread skepticism and denial, atrocities were either overlooked or reinterpreted to fit established worldviews. Evidence suggests that the United Nations' intelligence capabilities were boosted so that the true motivations behind this tragedy might be exposed (Berry and Carol 57).
