The Rwandan Genocide

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In today’s world, it is of the utmost importance to learn from mistakes of the past. Certain events, especially tragedies that could have been avoided, hold within them the lessons and wisdom that should be used to prevent similar disasters. The 1994 Rwandan genocide resulted in over 800, 000 deaths of the Tutsi people, at the hands of the Hutu; the genocide, and the international response to it, is a lesson about the humanitarian responsibilities, successes, and shortcomings of the United Nations.
The events leading up to the Rwandan genocide began decades earlier. There has been a long history of “ethnic” tensions, though it is really a matter of social class. The classification began with the German and Belgian colonizers in the early 1900’s. These colonizers created the social classes of “Hutu” and “Tutsi”, and distributed identification cards with such information (Johnson). The genocide was set off when the president’s plane was shot down (Genocide in Rwanda). Though it was never determined who shot the plane down, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, who were Tutsi rebels, have been blamed (The Rwandan Genocide). Immediately following the assassination, violence erupted in the capital city, Kigali. (Genocide in Rwanda)
During the 100-day period after April 6, 1994, between 800, 000 and one million Tutsi people were slaughtered. (Genocide in the 20th Century: Rwanda 1994) On April 7, roadblocks began to appear and soldiers began scouring the country for any person whose identification card read “Tutsi”. Entire families were murdered, often by their own neighbors and friends, and occasionally by relatives through marriage. Eleven year-old Hamis Kamuhanda recounted his experience in an interview with a reporter from the British Broadc...

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...erience necessary to strive to prevent the massive loss of life seen in Rwanda.

Works Cited
"Genocide in Rwanda." United Human Rights Council. N.p. N.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012
"Genocide in the 20th Century: Rwanda 1994." The History Place. N.p. N.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012
Johnson, Bridget. "Why is there conflict between Tutsis and Hutus?" About.com World News. N.p. N.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012
Lauria, Joe. "U.S. says it failed to stop Rwanda Genocide." The Wall Street Journal 8 Apr. 2009. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. 9 Nov. 2012
"Rwanda 1994." Ppu.org.uk. Peace Pledge Union. N.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012
"Rwanda Genocide Eyewitness." HistoryWiz. N.p. N.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012
"The Rwandan Genocide." History.com. N.p. N.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012
"Thematic Areas: Protection." OCHA. N.d. 9 Nov. 2012
Welsh, Paul. "Darfur: A Repeat of Rwanda?" BBC News. Web. 23 Aug. 2004. BBC. 25 Oct. 2012

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