Forgive But Never Forget… The Rwandan Genocide

*warning: upsetting / graphic material

The Rwandan Genocide was one of the most horrific events in human history. 1 million people were murdered in cold blood within a mere 100 days. Their assassins were not soldiers, but they were neighbors, teachers, and friends. The weapons used were machetes, bare hands, and baseball bats with nails sticking out of the tip at different angles. While some firearms were used, there were no bombs, no air raids, and no warning shots. 


Instead, the perpetrators aimed to inflict as much pain and torture on their victims before ultimately killing them. Achilles tendons were slit so people were unable to run away, and then they were thrown down pit latrines (primitive outhouses) so that they would either drown in shit or slowly bleed to death. These were not trained soldiers meeting on a battlefield; these were home invaders murdering parents in front of children and husbands in front of wives. Babies’ skulls were smashed into walls. Women were raped by known HIV-positive men, before their genitals were later mutilated beyond recognition. Many of the survivors had been mutilated in one way or another, often by having their fingers cut off at the knuckles. 

Pure evil was unleashed upon this beautiful land, filled with banana, avocado, and palm trees.

HISTORY & CAUSES:

During its Pre-colonial era, Rwanda was once one of the most peaceful nations on the African continent, but a myriad of factors had mounted, and when they failed to be addressed, spun out of control. The French-speaking Belgians who colonized Rwanda deliberately chose to favor the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as they needed some locals to help the colonizers keep control over the masses. The Tutsi were also favored because they tended to have lighter skin and smaller noses.

The single most incendiary document leading up to the genocide was the 1990 publication of “The Hutu 10 Commandments”, by Kuboza Kangura. 

Over the next 4 years, this hateful message gained popularity and support, as the Hutu majority continued to feel mistreated and repressed by the Tutsi, who had access and opportunity to the best jobs. The Rwandan President at the time, President Habyarimana, shared the views of the extremist Hutus.

INSTANT FULL BLOWN GENOCIDE:

The Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines incited hatred with their highly inflammatory messages and instructed Hutu to exterminate people they considered to be “cockroaches” (all Tutsi and Tutsi-sympathizing Hutus). It was kill or be killed for every Hutu. When this radio station announced the attack, the change was instant. Roadblocks were constructed (spikes on roads, guarded by armed monitors), lists of Tusti and their addresses were released, and extremist Hutu began going from house to house in groups (this “mob mentality” escalated the violence and minimized the possibility of any one Hutu showing sympathy to a friend or relative). Genocide was instant.

“Rwanda turned into a nation of brutal, sadistic, merciless killers of innocent victims overnight.”—quote on a wall in Genocide Memorial Museum, Kigali, Rwanda

The very worst aspect of the Rwandan genocide was not the fact that these crimes against humanity took place, but the disastrous apathy of the international community. The lack of response was, in my personal opinion, appalling.

Shortly after the full-blown genocide erupted (marked by a call to arms broadcasted on the radio by a Hutu extremist in April 1994), the UN quickly and efficiently sent in troops to evacuate all of the expats (Americans, Brits, and other white foreigners). Many expats were devastated to leave their Rwandan friends behind, knowing they were probably leaving them to die, but they agreed to leave to save their own lives. The number of troops the UN sent in would have been more than sufficient to put a stop to the violence right then and there, but they were under strict orders not to intervene. Even after the expats had been rescued and returned to safely, the UN could have authorized their officers to act, but they chose not to. The only international organization that refused to evacuate and stayed operational during the genocide was the International Red Cross.

SURVIVAL STORIES:

A Hutu man, who feared the Tutsi would attack the Hutu as tensions were building up, dug trenches on his land in case he needed to hide and protect his family. Instead, when the Hutu extremists attacked the Tutsi, this Hutu man provided safety to 11 Tutsi from their Hutu persecutors. Once the people were safely tucked deep into the trenches, he strategically placed wooden crates over them. He covered the wooden crates with large banana leaves, followed by piles of dirt with seedlings planted in them. The man’s daughter delivered food to them by carrying it out in a dustpan, so as not to raise suspicion. All 11 Tutsi survived the 100 days of violence throughout the country.

Tutsi people often sought protection/safety/salvation in churches and mosques. Although some of the largest-scale massacres took place on sacred ground, many of the assailants were still very religious and/or superstitious, which saved the lives of some.

AFTERMATH:

The International Court Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which took place in Arusha, Tanzania, only prosecuted high-level organizers of the genocide. Over the past 20 years, only 75 cases have been tried, with 12 acquittals, and 16 guilty verdicts still pending appeal.

*It seems fitting that I am listening to “The General” by Dispatch as I write this. I have my iPod on shuffle and it just happened to come up. Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

“I have seen the others

and I have discovered

that this fight is not worth fighting.

And I’ve seen their mothers

and I will no other

to follow me where I am going.

So, take a shower, shine your shoes,

you’ve got no time to lose.

You are young and you must be living.

Go now you are forgiven.”