Genocide in Rwanda

Genocide

War is not a necessary evil humans must endure. Although, war is not necessary, humans go to war to try to gain power, fortune, and to spread their particular group’s religions and beliefs. By definition civilization is an advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and material development in human society, marked by progress in the arts and sciences, the extensive use of record-keeping, including writing, and the appearance of complex political and social institutions. The chaos of war is reflected in the semantic history of the word war. War can be traced back to the Indo-European root *wers-, “to confuse, mix up.” In the Germanic family of the Indo-European languages, this root gave rise to several words having to do with confusion or mixture of various kinds. War is a state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties. The most widely used excuse to go to war is to progress civilization. To progress, is to advance toward a higher or better stage; as of a society or civilization. Burundi and Rwanda went to war with each other because of the “need” for a class of people to be looked at as the “dominant race/class”.

On April 6, 1994, Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana’s personal plane, a gift from French president Francois Mitterand, was shot down as it returned to Rwanda, killing Habyarimana, Burundian president Cyprien Ntarymira, and members of their entourages. In this tense climate, the assassination of Habyarimana was an act akin to throwing a match on kerosene. The events surrounding the assassination itself remain obscure, with theories abounding as to what party was responsible. The most likely scenario suggests that Hutu militants arranged the President's death, which they required as a pretext for mass murder. These two president’s were on their way back from Tanzania. In August 1993, at Arusha in Tanzania, a new comprehensive accord was concluded between Habyarimana and the RPF. A coalition government was promised, featuring a Hutu Prime Minister, and a 21 member cabinet with five Tutsis. Habyarimana was about to try to implement a power sharing, Arusha Accord in his government with the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). . To do so, however, would mean the effective end of his 20-year, one-party rule over Rwandan politics and society.

Extremists in the military and government bitterly op...

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Despite overwhelming evidence of genocide and knowledge as to its perpetrators, United States officials decided against taking a leading role in confronting the slaughter in Rwanda. Rather, US officials confined themselves to public statements, diplomatic demarches, initiatives for a ceasefire, and attempts to contact both the interim government perpetrating the killing and the RPF. The US did use its influence, however, at the United Nations, but did so to discourage a robust UN response (Document 4 and Document 13). In late July, however, with the evidence of genocide littering the ground in Rwanda, the US did launch substantial operations—again, in a supporting role—to assist humanitarian relief efforts for those displaced by the genocide.

There are many positive and negative consequences of war. There may even be too many to list. One of the advantages is that a people or society may be able to gain control/power which would allow them to improve their status in society; as in a Revolution. The main disadvantage is the loss in life. The loss of life in wars will be taken on both ends of the war. These lives are lost forever and sometimes these “wars” never end.