The liberation of many African countries from colonial oppression in the 1960s initially caused euphoria both among the local population and among supporters of democracy and progress around the world. However, subsequent events on the Black Continent showed how dialectical history is, how erroneous the "direct paths" are at times. Lacking sufficient experience in state building, artificially separated by colonial borders, burdened not only with feudal, but also with tribal remnants, the countries turned into "hot spots" of the planet. The departure of the colonialists revealed numerous problems, civil wars broke out, the problem of tribalism was exposed - the division of society along tribal lines.
Rwanda experienced all this to the full. This state in East Africa, until independence in 1962, was part of Rwanda-Urundi, a United Nations Trust Territory administered by Belgium. The population of the country in 1998 was about 8 million people, but before the events described in this essay, it was more numerous.
Rwanda is the most populous country in Africa. Only a small part of its population lives in cities. The peoples of Rwanda belong to three main ethnic groups: the Hutu (Bahutu), the Tutsi (Batutsi or Watutsi) and the Twa (Batwa). According to the UN census in 1978, Hutus made up 74%, Tutsis 25% and Twa 1%. Half of the country's population are Catholics, the other half are adherents of local beliefs.
Since 1962, the ruling regime has changed several times in Rwanda. In 1973, a military dictatorship was established as a result of a military coup. Everybody political parties, except for the ruling one, were dissolved. This one-party system continued until 1991, when the government finally allowed other parties to operate. From the first days of independence, the political situation in Rwanda began to be determined by the conflict between the Hutus, who constitute the majority of the population, and the Tutsis. Often this conflict resulted in bloody clashes.
When the Hutus appeared in these territories, it is not known; the Tutsi arrived at the beginning of the 15th century. and created one of the most powerful states in the hinterland of East Africa. The Hutu recognized the rule of the aliens and paid tribute to them. This hierarchy persisted for several centuries. The Hutu were mostly farmers, the Tutsis were pastoralists. The Germans, and then the Belgians who replaced them, decided to rely on the already existing elite - that is, on the Tutsi, who received a number of social and economic privileges. But in 1956 the policy of the colonialists changed radically - the stake was placed on the Hutus. So, using the principle of "divide and conquer", the Belgians have already prepared the ground for a future confrontation that continues to this day. During the civil war of 1959-1961. the Tutsi defended the independence of Rwanda from the Belgians, the Hutu fought with the Tutsis. Pogroms and political assassinations have become commonplace. It was then that the first mass exodus of Tutsis from Rwanda took place. Over the next decades, hundreds of thousands of Tutsi refugees were forced to seek shelter in neighboring Uganda, Zaire, Tanzania, and Burundi. In 1973, the authorities ordered that all citizens carry identification cards of their ethnicity. At the same time, fleeing persecution, thousands of Hutus moved to Rwanda from Burundi, which was also engulfed in an interethnic war.
On October 1, 1990, Tutsi refugees living in Uganda, who formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), invaded Rwanda. They were stopped by the Rwandan army, assisted by French and Belgian formations. However, the authorities did not stop there, but staged an attack by RPF units on the capital of Rwanda, the city of Kigali. This explained the ensuing mass arrests and the need for the military presence of France and Belgium. RPF forces tried to repeat the invasion in December 1990 and early 1991. A new RPF offensive in February 1993 led to the emigration of another half a million Rwandans, both Hutus and Tutsis, who suffered equally from the actions of militants on both sides. In August 1993, an agreement on the terms of a truce was signed in the Tanzanian city of Arusha, which included the formation of a coalition government of the Hutus and Tutsis.
Hutu extremists who were part of the government during 1990-1994. constantly intensified repressions against the Tutsis, terror touched politicians, journalists, etc. On April 6, 1994, when landing at Kigali airport, a plane exploded, on board of which were the President of Rwanda Habyarimana and the President of Burundi. Who - Tutsi or Hutus - is responsible for this act is unknown. But less than an hour later, a massacre began in Kigali. The next day, war broke out throughout the country. UN peacekeepers stationed in Rwanda did not dare to intervene.
During the most brutal ethnic cleansing, which was carried out by completely wild methods, the Hutus (primarily the police and the army) exterminated hundreds of thousands of people, including women and children. The victims of the genocide were not only the Tutsis, but also those disloyal to the Hutu regime. The total number of victims was just under a million people. The terror continued until July 1994. Government radio broadcast calls to destroy the eternal enemies, reported the places where the Tutsis were hiding.
RPF troops entered the country. In July they captured Kigali. About 2 million Rwandans fled - mostly to Zaire and Tanzania. This time most of them were Hutus. They settled in refugee camps, which became a training center for the resistance.
The UN Security Council instructed France to send an armed humanitarian mission to the country. The French saw the situation differently. Most of all, they feared that Rwanda would pass from them to the control of the United States (who really trained the military from the RPF). They created security zones in the southwest of the country, where they sheltered the soldiers and officials of the Habyarimana administration who fled from the RPF. The United States also opened a mission in Kigali, where the RPF was forming a coalition government in accordance with the Arusha Agreement. By July, more than a quarter of Rwanda's population had either fled or died. The RPF appointed the moderate Hutu Bizimungu as president, and Kagame, head of the RPF militant organization, became vice president. The USA, Belgium, Great Britain and the Netherlands pledged to supply the devastated country financial assistance. By the spring of 1997, the refugee camps in Zaire were closed, and about 1.5 million civilians returned to their homeland. Rwandan refugees still roam throughout the region, fighting each other and with regular units of countries that do not want to accept them and are trying to return them to their homeland by force.
It is impossible to imagine that all this happened very recently. One can only hope that modern civilization will learn from the terrible lessons of the recent past.
Today we will talk about the genocide in Rwanda, a small state in the East. And even though you can often hear creepy stories about Africa (which is worth it), this story will impress anyone.
The Rwandan genocide, officially called the Tutsi genocide, is the massacre of Rwandan Tutsis by local Hutus on April 6-July 18, 1994, carried out by order of the Hutu government.
We will give terrible photos of this tragic event at the end of the article.
It's hard to believe, but according to various estimates, from 500,000 to 1,000,000 people became victims of the genocide in Rwanda! And this happened not in some gloomy Middle Ages, but at the very end of the 20th century. In just 100 days, the population of the country decreased by 20%.
Let's try to find out the causes and consequences of this terrible tragedy that occurred between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples.
Reasons for the genocide in Rwanda
The genocide in Rwanda was the result of a long and stubborn confrontation between two ethnic groups: the Hutu and the Tutsi. The Hutu population made up approximately 85% of the citizens of Rwanda, while the Tutsi only 14%.
However, historically it so happened that it was the Tutsis who occupied a leading position and were the ruling elite.
For 3 years, starting in 1990, a civil war continued on the territory of this state.
In 1994, a military coup took place in the country and representatives of the Hutus came to power.
With the help of the army and units of the People's Militia, the new government, consisting of members of the Hutus, began the destruction of their long-standing enemies - the Tutsis.
Moreover, those representatives of the Hutus who refused to kill the Tutsis were also persecuted.
On the side of the Tutsis was the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which, in turn, pursued the goal of destroying the Hutus.
On July 18, 1994, relative peace and order were established in the state. However, two million Hutu people had to flee their country for fear of retribution.
Facts about the genocide in Rwanda
The state, seeking to completely destroy the Tutsi people, resorted to a variety of methods. Propaganda was constantly carried out on the radio, the purpose of which was to incite hatred of the Tutsis.
Thanks to this, the pogromists easily and simply found out where their potential victims were hiding. Real anarchy and disorder reigned in the country.
When the Hutu attacked the Tutsis, they brutally raped girls and women. Often, after the rape, the genitals of the victims were cut with a machete (50 cm, thin and wide knife), pierced with spears, or doused with acid.
Sometimes men were also sexually abused. Some of them had their genitals cut off.
As a result of all these monstrous violence, about 20,000 children were born. Subsequently, dishonored mothers, often infected with AIDS, were considered outcasts in society.
It is worth adding also the fact that during the genocide in Rwanda, many men and women were simply mutilated, cutting their mouths and causing various other facial injuries. Also, many unfortunate limbs were cut off.
Battle in the stadium
Less than 2 weeks after the start of the bloody events, about 15,000 Tutsis were gathered at the Gatvaro stadium. It is unbelievable, but they were collected in order to make it easier to kill.
The organizers of this atrocity fired tear gas into the crowd, and then began to shoot them with weapons and throw grenades at them. Something similar happened only during the Second World War, when the Nazis exterminated people with bestial cruelty.
Religious figures involved in the genocide
Sadly, the genocide in Rwanda did not take place without the "help" of the clergy. So in the UN, at the International Tribunal, the case against the Catholic priest Atanas Seromb was considered. He was charged with being one of the participants in the plot, which killed about 2,000 Tutsis, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Witnesses of those events claimed that it was this priest from Rwanda who called Tutsi refugees to his church, who were immediately attacked by the Hutus. When the helpless victims were finished, the clergyman ordered the destruction of the temple building with a bulldozer.
Atanasa Seromba is the first Catholic priest convicted by the International Tribunal. Three other colleagues are under investigation.
The most senior priest charged with the Rwandan genocide was Anglican Bishop Samuel Musabyumana, who died in prison in 2003 before the trial began.
Photo of the genocide in Rwanda
Tootsie(also referred to as watutsi, batutsi) - a people in central Africa (Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo) numbering about 2 million people.
Language
History and versions of origin
culture
Education
No more than half of the Tutsis of Rwanda and Burundi can read and write in their native language, and very few can read and write in French.
Folklore
Tutsi folklore includes proverbs, tales, myths, riddles and songs. One of the folk tales speaks of Sebgugugu, a poor man who was helped by God, providing his family with food and everything necessary. But with each time, Sebgugugu wanted more and more, and for his greed, God deprived him of everything.
Music
Weaving remains one of the most widespread handicrafts among the peoples of Burundi and Rwanda. The centuries-old development of the tradition of weaving has led to the emergence of artistic forms that not only satisfy household needs people, but also original works of art. The colors characteristic of Tutsi basketry are black, red and pale golden dried straw. Black dye was obtained by digesting banana flowers, red dye was similarly obtained from the roots and seeds of the urukamgi plant. By 1930, the palette was replenished with foreign dyes, baskets decorated with green, orange, and purple patterns began to appear.
Miniature boxes woven with ring technique are called "agaseki". Since ancient times, women from wealthy families of the privileged Tutsi class, who had enough free time to improve their weaving skills, were engaged in weaving. Since the Tutsis lost their dominance, the tradition of intricate, elegant weaving is a thing of the past, wickerwork are gradually being replaced by plastic ones.
The Tutsis wore beaded blade hilts and scabbards to emphasize their high status. For braiding, the technique of "brick threading" was used - the beads are arranged like bricks in the masonry. This technique is typical for South Africa generally.
Tutsi genocide in Rwanda
By the time of the genocide in Rwanda, the division into Hutu and Tutsi was more social in nature, there were no longer linguistic and cultural differences between these ethnic groups, and physical differences were largely erased due to interethnic marriages, although the idea that Tutsis are taller is still widespread and that their skin is lighter. Since the Belgian colonial government, nationality has been recorded on the Rwandan ID card, with the child's nationality entry matching that of his father. That is, if a father was recorded as Tutsi, then all his children were considered Tutsi, even if their mother was from Hutu.
Due to conflicts between Hutus and Tutsis, the situation in the African Great Lakes region remains tense.
Notable Tutsis
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Notes
Literature
- Pircio Biroli, Detail. Cultural Anthropology of Tropical Africa. M .: "Eastern Literature", 2001
- Korochantsev V.A. The battle of tomtams awakens a dream // About the peoples of Western and Central Africa. M.: 1987.
- The history of tropical Africa from ancient times to 1870 / Ed. ed. Olderoge D. A. / Perev. Matveeva G. A., Kalshchikova E. N. M .: "Science", 1984
- Society and State in Tropical Africa, otv. ed. A. Gromyko, M.: "Science", 1980
- Lemarchand, Rene. Burundi: Ethnocide as Discourse and Practice. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
- Nyankanzi, Edward L. Genocide: Rwanda and Burundi. Rochester, Vt.: Schenkman Books, 1997.
An excerpt characterizing Tootsie
On Pratsenskaya Hill, on the very spot where he fell with the staff of the banner in his hands, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky lay bleeding, and, without knowing it, groaned with a quiet, pitiful and childish moan.By evening, he stopped moaning and completely calmed down. He did not know how long his oblivion lasted. Suddenly he felt alive again and suffering from a burning and tearing pain in his head.
“Where is it, this high sky, which I did not know until now and saw today?” was his first thought. And I did not know this suffering either, he thought. “Yes, I didn’t know anything until now. But where am I?
He began to listen and heard the sounds of the approaching stomp of horses and the sounds of voices speaking in French. He opened his eyes. Above him was again the same high sky with still higher floating clouds, through which a blue infinity could be seen. He did not turn his head and did not see those who, judging by the sound of hooves and voices, drove up to him and stopped.
The riders who arrived were Napoleon, accompanied by two adjutants. Bonaparte, circling the battlefield, gave the last orders to reinforce the batteries firing at the Augusta dam and examined the dead and wounded remaining on the battlefield.
- De beaux hommes! [Handsome!] - said Napoleon, looking at the dead Russian grenadier, who, with his face buried in the ground and a blackened nape, lay on his stomach, throwing back one already stiffened arm.
– Les munitions des pieces de position sont epuisees, sire! [There are no more battery charges, Your Majesty!] - said at that time the adjutant, who had arrived from the batteries firing at August.
- Faites avancer celles de la reserve, [Order to bring from the reserves,] - said Napoleon, and, driving off a few steps, he stopped over Prince Andrei, who was lying on his back with a banner pole thrown beside him (the banner had already been taken by the French like a trophy) .
- Voila une belle mort, [Here is a beautiful death,] - said Napoleon, looking at Bolkonsky.
Prince Andrei understood that this was said about him, and that Napoleon was saying this. He heard the name sire of the one who said these words. But he heard these words as if he heard the buzzing of a fly. Not only was he not interested in them, but he did not notice them, and immediately forgot them. His head burned; he felt that he was bleeding, and he saw above him a distant, lofty and eternal sky. He knew that it was Napoleon - his hero, but at that moment Napoleon seemed to him such a small, insignificant person in comparison with what was now happening between his soul and this high, endless sky with clouds running across it. It was absolutely indifferent to him at that moment, no matter who was standing over him, no matter what they said about him; he was only glad that people had stopped over him, and only wished that these people would help him and bring him back to life, which seemed to him so beautiful, because he understood it in such a different way now. He mustered all his strength to move and make some kind of sound. He feebly moved his leg and produced a pitiful, weak, painful groan.
- AND! he is alive,” said Napoleon. - Raise this young man, ce jeune homme, and take you to the dressing station!
Having said this, Napoleon rode on to meet Marshal Lan, who, having removed his hat, smiling and congratulating him on his victory, drove up to the emperor.
Prince Andrei did not remember anything further: he lost consciousness from the terrible pain that was caused to him by laying on a stretcher, jolts while moving and probing the wound at the dressing station. He woke up only at the end of the day, when he, having been connected with other Russian wounded and captured officers, was carried to the hospital. On this movement he felt a little fresher and could look around and even talk.
The first words he heard when he woke up were those of a French escort officer who hurriedly said:
- We must stop here: the emperor will pass now; he will be pleased to see these captive masters.
“Today there are so many prisoners, almost the entire Russian army, that he probably got bored with it,” said another officer.
- Well, however! This one, they say, is the commander of the entire guard of Emperor Alexander, - said the first, pointing to a wounded Russian officer in a white cavalry guard uniform.
Bolkonsky recognized Prince Repnin, whom he met in St. Petersburg society. Next to him stood another, 19 summer boy, also a wounded cavalry guard officer.
Bonaparte, riding up at a gallop, stopped the horse.
- Who is the eldest? - he said, seeing the prisoners.
They named the colonel, Prince Repnin.
- Are you the commander of the cavalry regiment of Emperor Alexander? Napoleon asked.
“I commanded a squadron,” answered Repnin.
“Your regiment honestly fulfilled its duty,” said Napoleon.
“The praise of a great commander is the best reward for a soldier,” said Repnin.
“I give it to you with pleasure,” said Napoleon. Who is this young man next to you?
Prince Repnin named Lieutenant Sukhtelen.
Looking at him, Napoleon said, smiling:
- II est venu bien jeune se frotter a nous. [He came young to compete with us.]
“Youth does not interfere with being brave,” Sukhtelen said in a broken voice.
“A fine answer,” said Napoleon. “Young man, you will go far!”
Prince Andrei, for the sake of completeness of the trophy of the captives, was also put forward, in front of the emperor, could not help but attract his attention. Napoleon, apparently, remembered that he had seen him on the field and, addressing him, used the very name of the young man - jeune homme, under which Bolkonsky was first reflected in his memory.
– Et vous, jeune homme? Well, what about you, young man? - he turned to him, - how do you feel, mon brave?
Despite the fact that five minutes before this, Prince Andrei could say a few words to the soldiers who carried him, he now, directly fixing his eyes on Napoleon, was silent ... All the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant to him at that moment, seemed to him so petty his hero himself, with this petty vanity and joy of victory, in comparison with that high, just and kind sky that he saw and understood - that he could not answer him.
Yes, and everything seemed so useless and insignificant in comparison with that strict and majestic structure of thought, which caused in him a weakening of forces from the flow of blood, suffering and the imminent expectation of death. Looking into Napoleon's eyes, Prince Andrei thought about the insignificance of greatness, the insignificance of life, which no one could understand the meaning of, and the even greater insignificance of death, the meaning of which no one could understand and explain from the living.
The emperor, without waiting for an answer, turned away and, driving off, turned to one of the chiefs:
“Let them take care of these gentlemen and take them to my bivouac; have my doctor Larrey examine their wounds. Goodbye, Prince Repnin, - and he, having touched the horse, galloped on.
There was a radiance of self-satisfaction and happiness on his face.
The soldiers who brought Prince Andrei and removed from him the golden icon that they came across, hung on his brother by Princess Marya, seeing the kindness with which the emperor treated the prisoners, hastened to return the icon.
Prince Andrei did not see who and how put it on again, but on his chest, over and above his uniform, suddenly appeared a small icon on a small gold chain.
“It would be nice,” thought Prince Andrei, looking at this icon, which his sister hung on him with such feeling and reverence, “it would be nice if everything was as clear and simple as it seems to Princess Marya. How good it would be to know where to look for help in this life and what to expect after it, there, beyond the grave! How happy and calm I would be if I could say now: Lord, have mercy on me!... But to whom shall I say this! Either the power - indefinite, incomprehensible, which I not only cannot address, but which I cannot express in words - great everything or nothing, - he said to himself, - or this is the God who is sewn up here, in this palm, Princess Mary? Nothing, nothing is true, except for the insignificance of everything that is clear to me, and the greatness of something incomprehensible, but the most important!
The stretcher moved. At every push he again felt unbearable pain; the feverish state intensified, and he began to become delirious. Those dreams of a father, wife, sister and future son and the tenderness that he experienced on the night before the battle, the figure of a small, insignificant Napoleon and above all the high sky, constituted the main basis of his feverish ideas.
A quiet life and calm family happiness in the Bald Mountains seemed to him. He was already enjoying this happiness when suddenly little Napoleon appeared with his indifferent, limited and happy look from the misfortune of others, and doubts, torments began, and only heaven promised peace. By morning all the dreams were mixed up and merged into chaos and darkness of unconsciousness and oblivion, which, in the opinion of Larrey himself, Dr. Napoleon, were much more likely to be resolved by death than by recovery.
- C "est un sujet nerveux et bilieux," said Larrey, "il n" en rechappera pas. [This man is nervous and bilious, he will not recover.]
Prince Andrei, among other hopelessly wounded, was handed over to the care of the inhabitants.
At the beginning of 1806, Nikolai Rostov returned on vacation. Denisov was also going home to Voronezh, and Rostov persuaded him to go with him to Moscow and stay at their house. At the penultimate station, having met a comrade, Denisov drank three bottles of wine with him and, approaching Moscow, despite the bumps in the road, did not wake up, lying at the bottom of the sledge, near Rostov, which, as it approached Moscow, came more and more into impatience.
“Soon? Is it soon? Oh, these unbearable streets, shops, rolls, lanterns, cabbies! thought Rostov, when they had already written down their holidays at the outpost and drove into Moscow.
- Denisov, come! Asleep! he said, leaning forward with his whole body, as if by this position he hoped to speed up the movement of the sleigh. Denisov did not respond.
- Here is the corner of the crossroads where Zakhar the cab driver is standing; here he is and Zakhar, and still the same horse. Here is the shop where the gingerbread was bought. Is it soon? Well!
- Which house is that? asked the coachman.
- Yes, at the end, to the big one, how can you not see! This is our house, - said Rostov, - after all, this is our house! Denisov! Denisov! We'll come now.
Denisov raised his head, cleared his throat, and said nothing.
“Dmitry,” Rostov turned to the lackey in the box. “Is this our fire?”
- So exactly with and with daddy in the office glows.
- Haven't gone to bed yet? AND? how do you think? Look, don’t forget, get me a new Hungarian at once, ”added Rostov, feeling his new mustache. “Come on, let’s go,” he shouted to the driver. “Wake up, Vasya,” he turned to Denisov, who lowered his head again. - Come on, let's go, three rubles for vodka, let's go! Rostov shouted when the sleigh was already three houses from the entrance. It seemed to him that the horses were not moving. Finally the sleigh was taken to the right to the entrance; above his head, Rostov saw a familiar cornice with broken plaster, a porch, a sidewalk pillar. He jumped out of the sleigh on the move and ran into the passage. The house also stood motionless, unfriendly, as if it didn't care who came to it. There was no one in the vestibule. "Oh my God! is everything all right?" thought Rostov, stopping for a minute with a sinking heart, and at once starting to run further along the passage and the familiar, crooked steps. All the same doorhandle the castle, for the uncleanliness of which the countess was angry, also weakly opened. A single tallow candle burned in the hallway.
Old man Mikhail was sleeping on the chest. Prokofy, the visiting lackey, the one who was so strong that he lifted the carriage by the back, sat and knitted bast shoes from the hems. He glanced at the open door, and his indifferent, sleepy expression suddenly changed into ecstatic fright.
- Fathers, lights! Count young! he exclaimed, recognizing the young master. – What is it? My dove! - And Prokofy, shaking with excitement, rushed to the door to the living room, probably in order to announce, but apparently again changed his mind, returned back and leaned on the shoulder of the young master.
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In 1994, a million people were killed in Rwanda in just 100 days. 10,000 people a day! Women, children, old people - the whole Tutsi people were destroyed indiscriminately. This is impossible to imagine, especially since it all happened not once then, but during our lifetime, only 20 years ago. Unlike other acts of genocide, few people know about Rwanda, although the number of victims is simply incredible. It's just that no one cares about Africa. Many will not find Rwanda on the world map at all. Despite the fact that the plans for the complete extermination of the Tutsi were known in advance, neither the Americans nor the Europeans intervened. More precisely, the intervention was limited to the evacuation of its citizens. Here I recommend watching the movie "Shooting Dogs".
In Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, there is a genocide museum. It is also a memorial to the memory of the victims of the tragedy. Those who survived come here, the last photographs of the dead are brought here. The heaviest room - with large children's photographs. Under each photo there is a short reference: the name of the child, age, what he loved, who he wanted to become and how he was killed.
WHO ARE THE TUTSI AND THE HUTU
The Tutsi and Hutu tribes settled on the territory of modern Rwanda many centuries ago. First, Hutu farmers came from the south of the continent in search of new arable land. Later, Tutsi pastoralists with their herds came from the north to the same territory. The situation developed in such a way that all power in their settlements was in the hands of the Tutsis represented in the minority. They collected taxes from the Hutu peasants, lived in abundance and did not engage in physical labor.
First the German and then the Belgian colonists supported the power of the Tutsis. The reason was the origin of the Tutsi: the Europeans reasoned that if this tribe used to live in northern Africa, then it means that it is genetically closer to caucasian race and has superiority over the Hutus. The position of the Hutus became worse and more powerless, and in the end, in 1959, this people staged an uprising and seized power in the country. Ethnic cleansing began, tens of thousands of Tutsis died, and about 300 thousand more were forced to flee to neighboring countries. In Rwanda, until 1994, Hutu rule was established.
CIVIL WAR IN RWANDA
The civil war in Rwanda began in 1990. By that time, the Tutsi, expelled from the country in 1959, organized the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) movement in neighboring Uganda and planned an invasion of their native country. Tutsi detachments hid in the forests and mountains, periodically attacking cities and waging a guerrilla war. In 1992, they agreed to negotiate with the authorities. In 1993, the Tutsi and Hutus signed an agreement under which members of the RPF entered the interim Rwandan government, all Tutsi refugees received the right to return to their homeland, and both sides ceased hostilities. A fragile peace was made. A special UN mission of 2.5 thousand Belgian military arrived to monitor the implementation of the terms of the agreement.
Radical Hutus were dissatisfied with the concluded peace. They continued to incite hatred of the Tutsis among the population and agitate for their complete destruction. Radical youth fighting groups of the Interahamwe began to appear in the country, the military trained them and armed them with firearms. In addition, the military "as a precaution" handed out machetes to the Hutu citizens.
Hutu army training
In Rwanda, propaganda magazines were printed, in which, in particular, the nationalist "Ten Commandments of the Hutus" were distributed. Here are the first 4 commandments. They say that any Hutu who has connections with Tutsi women is a traitor. It is also claimed that all Tutsis are unscrupulous in business and that the only thing they seek is national superiority over the Hutus.
There was also a radio in the country, which broadcast propaganda that the Tutsis wanted to regain their former position and make slaves out of the Hutus.
“Everyone listening to this: get up and fight for our Rwanda. Fight with any weapon you can find: if you have arrows, then with arrows, if you have spears, then with spears. We all have to fight the Tutsis. We must finish them off, exterminate them, sweep them out of our country.”
“Mercy is a sign of weakness. Show them mercy and they will make you slaves again.”
Propaganda on RTLM radio in Rwanda, 1994
CAUSE FOR GENOCIDE
The reason for the start of the mass extermination of the Tutsis was the assassination of Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana. It happened on April 6, 1994. The plane in which he was flying was shot down by a rocket on approach to Kigali. The radicals blamed Tutsi detachments for the murder and refused to obey the orders of Prime Minister Agatha Uwilingiyimana, who, according to the law, was supposed to become acting. president. They explained this by the fact that they themselves will put things in order in the country. The Prime Minister, her husband and 10 Belgian soldiers accompanying them were soon killed. So did many other politicians who favored peace with the Tutsis and tried to pacify the radical military.
Rwandan Patriotic Front soldiers find body former prime minister Agates Uwilingiyimana
"Apparently, the plan is to destroy real and potential allies of the RPF and thus limit the ability of the RPF and the Tutsis to resist ... There is no end in sight to the unprecedented bloodshed."
"The Roots of Violence in Rwanda", US Department of State, Office of Intelligence and Research, April 29, 1994
An official investigation into the death of the President of Rwanda found that his plane was shot down by Hutu radicals who did not want to make peace with the Tutsis and were looking for an excuse to exterminate them.
THE BEGINNING OF THE GENOCIDE
A few hours after the death of the president, the military formed a Crisis Committee and immediately gave the order to kill Tutsis. The order was not limited to the military: calls to take machetes and kill their Tutsi neighbors were broadcast on the radio to ordinary Hutu citizens.
RTLM radio broadcasts calls to exterminate Tutsi cockroaches
The atrocities of the Presidential Guard, the Gendarmerie, and the Interahamwe Volunteer Youth Squads served as examples for them. And if one of the Hutu refused to participate in this or sheltered the Tutsi, then he was also killed.
100 DAYS OF GENOCIDE
The military and volunteers combed the houses in search of Tutsis and killed them on the spot, sparing neither women nor children. Even before the start of the genocide, in many settlements lists of Tutsi residents were compiled, so it was not difficult for the military to look for new victims.“There was a terrible commotion: the Interahamwe broke into houses, slaughtered cows and killed people. First they killed my brother and his wife. Their bodies were hung by the legs from a tree. Then the killers led us to the well. They cut us with machetes and threw us into the pit. No one from my family survived except me.
Before I was thrown into the pit, I was raped. It was so painful and embarrassing that I wanted to die. I was only 25 and I thought my life was worth nothing anymore.
They abused me and threw me into a pit with corpses. Someone, like me, could still breathe, and when the killers left, we tried to get out. On the third day I succeeded, but that man was no longer able. He most likely died there."
eyewitness account
Hutu posted checkpoints on all roads. The documents of people passing through them were checked, since the Rwandan passports had a “nationality” column. If representatives of the Tutsis fell into the hands of the Hutus, then they were immediately chopped with a machete, and the bodies were thrown right on the side of the road. Later, the national identity of people began to be identified “by eye”: the Tutsis were determined by the absence of traces of stubborn dirt on the palms, correct pronunciation, straight nose and tall stature.
“I managed to climb a mango tree. The soldiers didn't find me. But they went into my house and killed everyone who was there - mom, dad, grandmother. I did not see it, but I heard their cries, screams and moans. When they fell silent, I realized that my family was dead.
They dragged the bodies out of the house and left them in the yard. I couldn't recognize anyone. All the bodies were cut and dismembered.
I sat on the tree for many more hours. I was just numb and couldn't think of anything. But then the feral dogs came. They walked around the corpses and ate them. It was unbearable, I climbed down from the tree and started to run. I made a conscious decision that day that I needed to move forward and never stop.
I hadn't eaten in such a long time that when they finally gave me food, I couldn't even open my mouth.
The killers of my family were never punished. Because of this, I don't feel safe. I'm afraid that the Hutus will come and continue what they started. People think the genocide is in the past, but I still live with it.”
eyewitness account
Many Tutsis huddled together and hid from the Hutus in churches and schools. The Hutus, who got used to it, crushed the buildings filled with people with bulldozers and finished off those who tried to escape with machetes. The Tutsis also sought help from the Belgian military, hiding at their checkpoints. In such cases, groups of brutalized Hutus were located around the shelter and guarded the Tutsis who tried to get out. If there were such, then they were killed right in front of the Belgians, taking advantage of the fact that the European military was forbidden to interfere in the internal affairs of Rwanda.
“I asked the soldiers to shoot me. Better to be shot than die with a machete. But instead they raped and beat me, then tore off all my clothes and threw me into a common grave. My whole body was covered in the blood of the people who lay in the grave. Many of them were still alive. There was a woman with her legs cut off, who was still breathing.
A man passing by pulled me out of the grave. He hid me from the Hutus and raped me, giving me food and water in return. He said: “What difference does it make, you will die soon anyway.”
eyewitness account
If the radical Hutu groups encountered resistance from the population, they called in military detachments, and they quickly dealt with the small Tutsis.
“In search of a safe place during the genocide, I passed through several communes. I met many killers and lost five children along the way. Then I was with the Tutsis, who organized resistance on the hill. The assassins couldn't defeat us, so they called in military reinforcements. After the military defeated us, they returned to finish off the surviving men and rape the women. I was raped along with my mother. They put us side by side. At first, two soldiers took turns raping us. Then they gave us to the rest. After the rape, they let my mother go, and they kept me with them as their “wife.”
eyewitness account
It was relatively calm only in the north of the country, that is, in the territories captured by the RPF troops. Simultaneously with the events of the genocide, they continued to wage civil war with government troops.
“I am the only one left alive [from a large group of Tutsis]. The head of the district gave the order to rape me. I was immediately picked up by a man whom I had never seen before, but now I know his name. He did whatever he wanted with me, beat and raped me every time he came home from the murders. He hid all my clothes and I was completely naked there. I wanted to kill myself in the toilet, I went outside to get to him, but instead I just ran away and hid in the bushes. In the morning, RPF soldiers found me.
Of the four most ruthless killers I met during the genocide, I know three. Now they still live among us and among many other murderers who will never be convicted.”
eyewitness account
Many Tutsis were killed by their own neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances, former friends or even relatives through marriage. Tutsi women were often taken into sexual slavery and killed after long periods of abuse, torture and rape. Many of those who remained alive contracted AIDS.
“I managed to sneak out of the house [where I was kept in sexual slavery], but my sister was not so lucky. She was killed. I was so distraught by this news that I myself went to the Interahamwa to have them kill me too.
But instead of killing me, one of them took me to an abandoned house and raped me. Then he showed me grenades and cartridges and told me to choose what kind of death I want to die. I grabbed a grenade and threw it on the ground, hoping it would blow me up, but it didn't explode. Then he called his friends to punish me. They all raped me.
They left me alone, torn, covered in blood and filth. I lay there for five days and I don't know how I survived. Then I left the house like a zombie in search of someone who could kill me. I didn't know that by that time the RPF had already liberated this territory from the Hutus. Soldiers dressed in uniform walked towards me, I shouted nasty things and insults at them, hoping that they would get angry and kill me. But instead they tried to calm me down and then took me to the hospital.
At the hospital, I found out that I was HIV-positive. But I don't want to talk about it."
eyewitness account
The bodies of the dead Tutsis were often dumped into the rivers that flow in a northerly direction so that they "returned to where they came from."
“The Kagera River flows through a deep gorge that forms the natural border between Rwanda and Tanzania. In the rainy season, the river gets fat and blows huge clods of grass and small trees from the slopes. late spring 1994, the same thing happened to human bodies. They were all twisted and tangled, tossed around the rapids until they hit the calm water that carried them to Victoria. They didn't look dead. They looked like swimmers because the strong current gave the illusion that they were moving. They seemed so alive to me that I even shuddered when the waves hit them on the rocks. I even imagined the pain they might feel. The border guards told me that hundreds of corpses swim past them every day. Some of the dead had their hands tied behind their backs. They were shot, hacked to death, beaten, burned, drowned…”
eyewitness account
Many Hutus who participated in the massacre lost control and turned into real maniacs, who did not care who they killed. The authorities dealt with such people themselves, because they "discredited" the program of genocide.
THE OFFENSIVE OF THE RWANDIAN PATRIOTIC FRONT
With the beginning of the genocide, the RPF, which occupied the northern regions of the country, again opposed the Hutu army. By early July, he had captured most of the country and forced the Hutus to flee en masse abroad. A little later, he organized a coalition government with representatives of the Tutsis and Hutus and outlawed the party that started the genocide. The rise to power of the Rwandan Patriotic Front and its leader, Paul Kagame, marked the end of the genocide. Paul Kagame still rules Rwanda.
DURATION OF THE GENOCIDE AND NUMBER OF KILLED
The genocide lasted approximately 100 days - from April 6 to July 18, 1994. During this time, according to various estimates, from 800,000 to 1,000,000 people were killed. Despite the fact that the population of Rwanda according to the 1991 census was 7.7 million people. Another 2,000,000 people (mostly Hutu) fled the country fearing retribution from the RPF. Thousands of them died from epidemics that spread rapidly in overcrowded refugee camps.Names of dead Tutsis
Francine, 12 years old. She loved eggs, chips, milk and Fanta. She was friends with her older sister Claudet. Hacked with a machete.
Bernardine, 17 years old. Loved tea and rice. Did well at school. Killed with a machete in Nyamata's church.
Fidel, 9 years old. He liked to play football and eat chips. Played a lot with friends and watched TV. Shot in the head.
Chanel, 8 years old. She loved to run with her father, watch TV and listen to music. Favorite food is milk and chocolate. Hacked with a machete.
Ariana, 4 years old. Loved pies and milk. She danced and sang a lot. She died from stab wounds to the eyes and head.
David, 10 years old. He loved to play shootball and make people laugh. Wanted to become a doctor. Before his death, he said: "The UN will come for us." Tortured to death.
Patrick, 5 years old. Loved to ride a bike. Favorite food - chips, meat and eggs. He was quiet and obedient. Hacked with a machete.
Uwamwezi and Irene, 7 and 6 years old. Shared one doll for two. They loved fresh fruit and spent a lot of time with their father. Exploded by a grenade.
Hubert, 2 years old. Favorite toy is a car. The last memory is of how his mother was killed. Gunned down.
Aurora, 2 years old. She loved to play hide and seek with her older brother. She was very talkative. Burned alive in Gikondo Church.
Fabrice, 8 years old. She loved to swim and eat chocolate. She was best friends with her mother. Beaten to death with a club.
Yvonne and Yves, 5 and 3 years old. Brother and sister. Loved tea with milk and chips. Chopped to death with machetes at grandma's house.
Thierry, 9 months old. Was breastfed. I cried a lot. Her mother hacked her to death with a machete.
Philetta, 2 years old. She loved to play with dolls. Favorite food is rice and chips. Killed by hitting a wall.
ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES
In April, as the violence in Rwanda grew more rampant, Western countries evacuated their citizens. At the same time, the UN ordered a peacekeeping group of Belgian soldiers to leave the country. They will return there only a few months after the end of the genocide.
Asked to intervene to stop the genocide, the US responded that "the traditional US commitment to free speech is not consistent with such measures." In fact, in the six months since then, the US troops have been very unsuccessfully involved in military operations in Somalia, so the authorities refrained from a new military intervention.
At the end of June, French troops arrived in Rwanda. They are based in Hutu-controlled territory and, according to many observers, supported the genocidal government. Of course, the French did not allow the Hutus to continue to kill the Tutsis (although there is another opinion), but at the moment when the RPF army approached them, they helped many high-ranking Hutus escape retribution.
French troops establish a "safety zone" between the advancing RPF troops and the remnants of the Hutu army
GENOCIDE COVERAGE IN THE WORLD
The genocide in Rwanda was actively covered in the media by Western journalists. The Hutus were not at all shy about what they were doing, and easily cut people with machetes in front of foreign observers. Later, the Rwandan authorities, who organized the massacre, will begin to worry about the possibility of international intervention and will turn to Hutu citizens with a request to continue killing, but not to leave corpses on the street. After that, rotting on the streets for weeks dead bodies began to cover with banana leaves so that reporters could not shoot them from helicopters.Even after the genocide, governments of many countries tried to present what happened as a manifestation of "tribal violence" or "long-standing ethnic hatred." No one wanted to admit that this was a deliberate extermination of people of a different nationality in order to maintain political strength and power.
UN BEHAVIOR
Even before the assassination of the President of Rwanda, the UN peacekeeping mission knew about the preparation of radicals for genocide. She requested permission from the UN Security Council to start raiding them, but he forbade her to interfere in the internal affairs of the state. The ban was not lifted even after the start of mass atrocities and killings.
The UN for a long time refused to recognize what was happening as genocide, because if recognized, it would have to intervene, but it did not want to. In the United States, officials have also banned officials from using the word "genocide." It wasn't until mid-May that the UN recognized that "an act of genocide had been committed" in Rwanda and promised to send 5,500 troops and 50 armored personnel carriers there. By this time, the Hutus had already killed 500,000 people. The promised military never made it to Rwanda because the UN was unable to negotiate with the US on the cost of the armored personnel carrier. Until the end of the genocide, the UN did not intervene in the situation.
After the end of the genocide, the UN sent a second mission to Rwanda to help restore order in the streets and clean up thousands of dead bodies.
In 1999, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan publicly apologized for the "regrettable inaction" and "political lack of will" of the organization's leadership.
EVENTS AFTER THE GENOCIDE
Of the two million Hutu who fled to neighboring countries after the RPF came to power, many soon had to return to Rwanda. The few surviving Tutsis watched them in profound silence as they returned to their homes. The new government of Rwanda took a very bold step and imposed a moratorium on arrests of genocide suspects. The then Defense Minister and current President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, said: “People can change. And some of them even get better after being forgiven and given a second chance.”
“The Rwandans have lived peacefully with each other for six hundred years, and there is no reason why they cannot live in peace again. Let me address those who have chosen to follow the deadly path of confrontation: I remind you that these people are Rwandans just like you. Renounce the path of genocide and destruction, join hands with other Rwandans and direct your energies towards good deeds.”
Message from the President of Rwanda, Pasteur Bizimungu, 1994
Despite calls for peace, for several months after the genocide, killings continued throughout the country: the Tutsis avenged the death of their relatives, and the Hutus got rid of witnesses who could testify against them in court.
In 1996, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda began its work in the city of Arusha in Tanzania. Its goal was to identify and punish the organizers of the genocide. During his work, he considered the cases of 93 defendants, of which 61 were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. Among them are the organizers of the radical youth movement Interahamwe, the leaders of the army who ordered the start of the genocide, and the host of the Rwandan radio station, who called on the air to kill Tutsis.
“The genocide radically changed my life. Now I am crippled and therefore I live in poverty. I can't bring myself water or plow the land. I suffer terribly from all trauma, grief and insomnia. I am isolated from other people. I am offended and sad. I want to cry all the time and I hate everyone. I have nowhere to live because they destroyed my parents' house. And the most monstrous thing is that they found HIV in me. I just sit and wait for death to come for me."
eyewitness account
“Now I feel ashamed that I did not resist the rapists. I have nightmares about what happened to me, and I find it difficult to maintain relationships with people. But the worst thing is that I gave birth to a child from my tormentor. The genocide is still ongoing for me: I can never forget him because I am raising his child.”
eyewitness account
“I don’t know why I was persecuted, but then it seemed to me that running was the only way out. Now I understand that I had to stay and share the fate of my family. My whole body was covered with batons and machetes, but I always ran away from those who held them. I was raped and dishonored, but I found the courage to run away and live on. You may think that I am brave and courageous. Yes, I did look death in the face. I paid a terrible price to survive. But on the other hand, I just got lucky. I didn't see them kill my family. I didn't see how they practiced shooting, using small children as targets. This should never happen to anyone.
I am one of that crowd of the dead, only I am not yet buried. I am a living reminder of what happened to a million other people."
eyewitness account
“I know the people who killed my family: my parents, three brothers and a sister. I am ready to forgive them, because my relatives will not be returned anyway. But it will depend on how they ask for forgiveness.
I would like to live in a stable Rwanda where children are not in danger. In Rwanda, where there will never be another genocide."
eyewitness account
“During the reconciliation process, the killer of my family came to me asking for forgiveness. At that time, I did not forgive him, because my heart was terribly bitter about what happened. But if he comes to me now, I will forgive him. The Lord said that if we forgive, they will forgive us. We must show the killers that we are not like them, that we are generous. I think they themselves realized that their actions did not lead to anything good. Let's treat them like human beings."
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Massacre in Rwanda
Civil wars in Africa
The bloody conflict in Rwanda between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples began on April 7, 1994 and claimed the lives of about a million people in a hundred days.
On April 7, 1994, conflict broke out in Rwanda, killing up to a million representatives of the Tutsi and Hutu tribes. At this time, the President of the country, Juvenal Habyarimana, who belonged to the Hutu tribe, which made up the majority of the population, led fighting against the rebels from the Tutsi tribe - the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Relations between the Hutu and the Tutsi were very tense. On April 6, 1994, the plane of the country's president was shot down by a rocket (who launched it is not completely clear), the head of state died. The death of the president served, primarily in army circles, as a signal for the start of massacres of Tutsis.
Chronicle of the African Holocaust - in the photo gallery "Kommersant".
The massacre in Rwanda, which is called the African Holocaust, began in April 1994. At this time, the country's president, Juvenal Habyarimana, who belonged to the Hutu tribe, which made up the majority of the population, fought against the rebels from the Tutsi tribe - the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Relations between the Hutu and the Tutsi were very tense.
2.
At a time when Rwanda was a Belgian colony, the metropolis deliberately divided its inhabitants: Tutsi representatives were considered an elite and received better jobs and various privileges. After Rwanda gained independence in 1962, the situation changed dramatically: the oppressed majority, the Hutus, perked up and began to oppress the Tutsis in every possible way. The RPF, led by Paul Kagame, fought against the Hutu government in the early 1990s. On April 6, 1994, the plane of the country's president was shot down by a rocket (who launched it is not completely clear), the head of state died. The death of the president served as a signal for the “hawks”, primarily in army circles, to start the massacres of Tutsis.
3.
Not only ordinary people were involved in the conflict. In a matter of days, all moderate Hutu politicians who did not belong to the presidential clan were massacred. "Moderate" Prime Minister Agata Uwilingiyamane (pictured), who was five months pregnant, had her stomach ripped open by soldiers. Five ministers and the president of the constitutional court were also killed.
4.
Having done away with the "traitors" from among their fellow tribesmen, the Hutu extremists set about the "final solution" of the national question. The massacre was by no means spontaneous. The gathering of militia units was announced on the national radio. The mayors gave them pre-prepared lists, and the Tutsis were systematically massacred. The whole country took part in the massacre.
5.
Thus, in a hospital in the city of Butare, rioters forced Hutu doctors to kill their Tutsi colleagues with their own hands. In another case, on the orders of the Hutu, European sisters of mercy drove Tutsis into a barn and set fire to it. In three weeks, more than half a million people died, in a month - 800 thousand people.
6.
The genocide in Rwanda was particularly brutal. The victims were tortured for a long time before their death, cutting off their fingers, hands, feet, arms and legs. Often, not wanting to endure bullying, the victims asked to be killed, even offered them money. Sometimes the bodies of the victims were mocked after the murders.
7.
According to various organizations, about 250,000 women were raped during the genocide, including the murdered prime minister. Many of the women who survived contracted sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. One of the survivors said: “I will not go to the gachacha (community court) because it is too difficult for me to testify. Yes, I don’t know who exactly killed my husband and who raped me ... I have seven children, but only two of them go to school, because we are poor. I have AIDS and I don't know who will take care of them when I die."
8.
But soon everything went in the opposite direction. The Tutsis, mobilized from neighboring countries, mainly from Uganda, took Kigali on July 4, 1994 and established their own government. The decisive role in the victory of the Tutsi was played by the support of the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, by the way, also a Tutsi by origin. Now the prisons are filled with representatives of the former Hutu political elite. According to official figures, about 300 people died there, according to unofficial data - 18 thousand people.
9.
When the Tutsi rebel army defeated government forces in 1996, the French units, according to a special commission, covered the withdrawal of Hutu militants, allowing them to take refuge in neighboring Zaire (now the DRC). Paris has always denied such accusations, which were previously unofficial, insisting that the French troops were trying to protect people and were acting under the sanction of the UN. The Rwandan government accused France of involvement in the 2008 genocide.
10.
The world community demonstrated indecision during the massacres, for which the responsible persons have repeatedly apologized to the people of Rwanda. By the beginning of the massacre, there were 2.5 thousand UN peacekeepers in the country. However, after ten Belgian soldiers were killed, the UN Security Council decided to withdraw troops and leave only 270 troops. Then, in mid-May, the Security Council changed its mind and decided to send 5,500 peacekeepers to Rwanda, which was done, but after the end of the massacre. Bill Clinton, who headed the US administration in 1994, and Kofi Annan, who was in charge of UN peacekeeping operations in those years, apologized to Rwanda. Their example was followed by representatives of a number of countries, including the former metropolis - Belgium.
11.
In the course of a well-organized massacre, which was carried out with extreme cruelty, hundreds of thousands of Tutsis were killed in three months, as well as moderate Hutus who opposed the genocide (if the Hutus refused to kill the Tutsis, they themselves died). The genocide ended after the troops of Paul Kagame managed to capture Kigali, after which about 2 million Hutus fled to the Congo (at that time Zaire).
12.
Over the past 20 years, no unequivocal answer has been found to the question of who is to blame for the tragedy: the parties to the conflict continue to blame each other and the world community. Judicial system Rwanda is not coping with thousands of cases, many of the organizers of the massacres successfully hide abroad, and the relatives of the victims, having not achieved justice, continue to seek revenge.