Pd.+2+rwanda

On April 6th, 1994, one of the worst genocides in the history of the world began. Tribal Hutus, intent on taking over the corrupt Rwandan government began murdering Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Their most common weapons were clubs and machetes. It is estimated that 7 people were killed every minute, 400 every hour, and 10,000 every day. Over the course of the genocide, approximately a million people were killed in 100 days.

The genocide started when the then current president, Juvenal Habyarimana, was killed when his plane was shot down, purportedly by Tutsis. There had been tension between the two tribes ever since their independence was declared from Belgium in 1962. The Tutsis had been in charge during the Belgian rule, but after gaining independence, the Hutus took over. Habyarimana's plane being shot down was seen as a rebellious act by the Tutsis. The killings began hours later.

Hutus attacked places of haven for the Tutsis, especially churches. Nyamata Church was the scene of a mass killing of about 10,000 people seeking shelter there. People who were not immediately slaughtered were thrown into sewage dumps and rocks were thrown on top of them.

What is the deciding factor between a Hutu and a Tutsi? There really is no clear-cut line. They are genetically similar. The only things that establish a Tutsi from a Hutu are that Tutsis have long noses and/or more than 10 cows.

The genocied officially ended in Mid-July. The RPF, Rwandan Patriotic Front, was eventually able to stop the Hutus attacks. This was done without the help of the U.N. The U.N. pulled aout all but 270 of their troops when the genocide started.

Today, people are still being tried for the crimes committed during the 1994 genocide. However, Rwanda is a different country. One source says that in 1994, Rwanda had to start over again; it had no infrastructure, no government and almost no population. However "over the last 12 years, Rwanda has grown and developed so much that a person who had left before the war and genocide would barely know their way around." People who fled the country during the genocide are gradually returning, and the Rwandan government is gradually becoming more stable. Tourism is becoming a leading industry for the Rwandan people.

Also, awareness is spreading. Movies, like "Hotel Rwanda" have been made, depicting some of the aspects of the genocide and the stories of the few survivors. Yet, there is still genocide going on today. In countries like Darfur and Sudan, people are being killed for their ethnicities.

"A single death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic." -Joseph Stalin