The 1994 Rwandan genocide is what holds Rwanda’s dark history, a dramatic event of a kind. The Rwandan genocide involved mass slaughter during the civil war between the Tutsis and Hutus. The Rwanda civil war lasted for about 3 months and within that shortest period, nearly 1000000 lives were lost with many displaced. The 1994 Rwandan genocide is believed to have been initiated by the Hutus in Kigali before it spread to various parts of Rwanda. It involved brutal killing and ordinary citizens were incited by officials and the Hutu power government. By the time the Tutsi led Rwandese Patriotic Front gained momentum with help of military offensive earlier in July, thousands of people had already lost their lives and about 2 million sought refuge in Uganda and other nearby countries. The Tutsi and Hutu are 2 ethnic groups to be first settlers in Rwanda. Originally they are cattle keepers with Tutsis being mostly cattle keepers and the Hutu never had cattle. The Tutsi at the time were regarded as the minority group and the Hutu as majority.
It was during the colonial era in Rwanda that the Belgium government was in favor of Tutsi minority over the Hutu. At the time, the few oppressed the majority something 1962 that created tension that later exploded prior Rwanda attaining independence. In 1959, the Hutu revolution made over 300000 Tutsis to leave the country and by 1961, the victorious Hutus forced the Tutsis into exile and declared Rwanda a republic. Rwanda became independent under Belgium in July but this didn’t stop the existing violence. By 1973, a military group installed Major General Juvenal Habyarimana who was a moderate Hutu into power and he founded the National Revolutionary Movement for Development (NRMD). Habyarimana was elected as the president of Rwanda under the new constitution in 198 and again in 1983 and 1988. By 1990, the Rwandese Patriotic Front forces comprising of the Tutsis from exile invaded Rwanda from Uganda. In 1993, Juvenal Habyarimana signed a treaty in Arusha Tanzania that was intended to create a transition government which could cover the Rwandese Patriotic Front. However, the move angered the Hutu extremists.
The Rwandan genocide sparked off on 6th/4/ 1994 after plane crash that had on board president of Rwanda at the time ‘Juvenal Habyarimana’ and President ‘Cyprien Ntaryamira’ from Burundi. Roads were blocked by the presidential guard plus members of Rwandan Armed Forces and the Hutu militia groups-the Interahamwe as well as Impuzamugambi and what followed was mass killing started. The Prime Minister ‘Agathe Uwilingiyimana’ and 10 Belgium bodyguards were the first victims of the 1994 Rwandan civil war. The massacre continued throughout Rwanda and within 100 days, about a million lives were lost while two million (2000000) became refugees in Uganda, DR Congo and other near states.
Rwandan genocide occurred in different areas including churches, schools, hospitals and many more. These places were assumed by people as safe but unfortunately, it didn’t work as they thought. The 1994 Rwandan genocide ended after the Rwandan Patriotic Front took over power with Pasteur Bizimungu as the president at the time and Paul Kagame as vice president and minister of defense.