Analysis of Genocide in Rwanda, Its Impact and Aftermath

For many years, Rwanda dealt with an ongoing battle between the Tutsis and Hutus, but one major problem that was faced by the Hutus was their reluctance to share any power with the Tutsis. They wanted to be dominant and would not settle for anything less. Another conflict was the assassination of President Habyarimana of Rwanda. All ongoing conflicts led to the painful genocide that killed nearly eight hundred thousand people (Philip 1). The genocide had been impending and continued for a long time. During the genocide all ten stages; classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, persecution, extermination, and denial occurred (Stanton 1). It left people very damaged mentally and physically. The genocide occurred in the country of Rwanda in 1994. The decades of Tutsi oppression of Hutus, and the assassination of President Habyarimana led to the genocide in Rwanda.

Causes

The decades of Tutsi oppression of the Hutus led to one of the most famous genocides. In Rwanda, during 1994 about eighty five percent of the population were Hutus, the rest were Tutsis. However, “when Belgium granted Rwanda’s independence in July 1962 the roles flipped, and Tutsis began to dominate over the Hutus. The Hutus thought this was unacceptable and began taking action and exterminating the Tutsis” (History).

Even years after Rwanda’s independence, ethnical violence was still occurring. On April 6, 1994, President Habyarimana was on a plane that was shot down right over the city of Kigali. The President was killed during this hateful attack which left no survivors. Still to this day, the culprits have not been conclusively determined, but it is believed to have been an act of the Hutus (History). The tensions continued to rise and within the next three months 800,000 people had been killed. Hutus began to flee Rwanda and began to crowd into refugee camps and nearby countries. Many plans to stop the genocide were fabricated, but by the time they were put into action, the genocide was already over.

Impacts

The 1994 Genocide in Rwanda left impacts on the country’s people, economy, and all its surroundings. It affected everyone and everything differently, leaving permanent scars on people’s minds, souls, and bodies. The physical, emotional, and mental conditions changed tremendously. Two of the major impacts after the Rwanda Genocide in 1994 were deforestation and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Deforestation left more of an environmental impact rather than a personal impact. After the genocide in 1994, deforestation caused the land to be regularly destroyed to make more land available for the relocation of refugees and displaced persons. It had one of the highest land demands and left about 11.5% of people without a home, landless, or displaced (Environmental Causes and Impacts).

Another impact of the genocide was PTSD. PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a condition where your body and mind have a difficult time recovering from an event that you either witnessed or experienced. PTSD was unfortunately very common during the time and very directly impacted the people. More than a quarter of the people who survived the Rwandan genocide were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (Environmental Causes and Impacts). PTSD effects everyday lives by taking over the mind and body completely. It makes it very hard to process and function properly. It can cause suicidal thoughts or tendencies and is something that is uncontrollable. The reason that is was very common was because of the multiple deaths and murders that were witnessed. People had to watch even their own family members get beaten, abused, or even killed.

Aftermath

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda was different than any other. It was impending and happened quickly and abruptly, like a spark, rather than taking several years to strike. The violence killed seventy five percent of the population leaving Rwanda in one of the highest industrial scales. The communities were destroyed and many people were left permanently scarred because of the horror they had witnessed or lived through. Neighboring countries met and discussed ways that they could help, “Many troops were sent in and after a few months it was finally enough to put a halt to the killings” (Gourevitch). It has now been about 25 years since the genocide and the struggle from repercussions is evident. Violence continued for decades leaving people displaced, hurt, and heavily impacted. Many meetings have taken place to discuss how it is a priority and critical to ensure another genocide happens “Never again” (Brand). More time has been invested in preventing conflicts and efforts targeting violence. More focus has been put on programs addressing the issues, institutions, and anti-violence societies. Foreign policies have been made and stricter security was added. The people and governments have been working hard on the change that “needed to happen” and will help prevent another genocide from occurring. The genocide was a very harsh and heartbreaking time. Before, during, and after the genocide people were left scared and broken. It impacted the people and the world tremendously and unfortunately will leave a permanent imprint in all the people affected by it. The 1994 genocide in Rwanda was different, it was impending and happened quickly. The many violent attacks killed seventy five percent of the population leaving Rwanda. The communities were destroyed and many people were left permanently scarred because of the horror they had witnessed or lived through. Neighboring countries met and discussed ways that they could help, 'Many troops were sent in and after a few months it was finally enough to put a halt to the killings' (Gourevitch).

It has now been about 25 years since the genocide and the struggle is still happening. Violence continued for decades leaving people displaced, hurt, and heavily impacted. Many meetings have taken place to discuss how it is a priority and critical to ensure another genocide happens 'Never again' (Brand). The prevention of conflicts and efforts targeting violence have been stressed. More focus has been put on programs that highlight the issues, institutions, and anti-violence societies. Foreign policies have been made and stricter security was added. The people and governments have been working hard on the change that 'needed to happen' and will help prevent another genocide from occurring. The genocide was a very harsh and heartbreaking time. Before, during, and after the genocide people were left scared and broken. It impacted the people and the world tremendously and unfortunately will leave a permanent imprint in all the people affected by it.

In The History Place article 'Rwanda 1994 800,000 Deaths', the author describes the genocide in Rwanda during 1994. The killings all started when the two main ethnic groups, the Tutsi and Hutu, in Rwanda were in disagreement about colonial rule. The Tutsis dominated the Hutus for years then in 1962 the Hutus seized power and reversed the roles. The Hutu extremists were opposed of shared any power with the Tutsis. Several meetings were held in which the presidents and government officials discussed ways to stop the violence, but these did not help. The killings were increasing and now the only thing deciding between life or death were the identification cards all individuals in Rwanda had to carry. For many years the U.N. and U.S. refrained from calling the killings in Rwanda a genocide. The extraordinary rate of killing was unfortunately increasing tremendously and now they were engaged in genocidal mania and clubbing and hacking to death. The killings ended after armed Tutsi rebels defeat the Hutus and finally halt the genocide in July 1994. The tragedy caused an estimated 800,000 people to die.

Gourevitch, Philip, narrator. Rwanda: The World Reacts. In the History video, 'Rwanda:The World Reacts' Philip Gourevitch explains the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. He states that it was different than all other genocides. Unlike the others, the Rwanda Genocide was impending and happened so quickly and abruptly rather than taking several years to struck. Almost seventy five percent of Rwanda's Tutsis population was killed and slaughtered. The killing was on an industrial scale different to any other.

After a few weeks of the genocide other countries and nations began to get involved in it. They were not a part of the killing, but they had political and social claims that they were making. One man believed that with just 2,500 troops he could stop the slaughters within a couple of weeks. His request however was not approved by the Chinese and they also cut the peacekeeping force by ninety percent. Later, the United Nations voted on sending 5,500 troops into Rwanda and stalled the deployment. Even with the many troops that were being sent in, it was still not enough to stop the conflicts and slaughters between the Hutus and Tutsis. The French soon decided that they wanted to step in for humanitarian rescue but only if they would receive a U.N. candidate. This was still not enough.

In July over one million people fled Rwanda in order to save themselves from the danger within the country. They took refuge in the nearby safe cities and countries. Because of the number of people and the limited amount of supplies and medicine it was very hard for the majority of the people to stay alive. Troops began to deliver supply packages to help the people who were being affected by the attacks. A few weeks or even a month later it was finally safe to return home and the people started to make their way.

In the Accord article 'Environmental causes and impacts of the genocide in Rwanda'(2010) by Suveshnee Munien, Alphonse Gahima, and Vadi Moodley they state the many impacts of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The cycles of violence in Rwanda were often caused by discrimination of race, religion, gender, and many more. The Genocide left scars in the many hearts damaged by such a cruel act. When the violence was over the country and all its people were hurt, both physically and emotionally. However, not only did the Rwandan Genocide effect the people but it also effected the forest and was seriously damaged by deforestation. After the genocide the forest land was regularly destroyed in order to more land available for the relocation of refugees and displaced persons. The land was also destroyed to relocate firewood, logging for settlements and road construction. Rwanda has one of the highest land demands and leaves about 11,5% of people landless. There are some beneficial factors of deforestation, however. Deforestation limits the acts of illegal logging and tree felling. It also gives a lower chance of brushfires and burnt ground. Because of deforestation it was a struggle to find an area to make home which also led to another impact of the Genocide, human displacement.

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda had many actions leading up to the conflict. The death of President Juvenal Habyarimana was one of the major causes but by no means was the only cause of the long lasting genocide. On April 6, 1994 a plane carrying President H was shot down right above the Kigali airport. The suspect of this crime was not determined but many are set to believe that it was the current Rwandan President, Paul Kagame who carried out such an awful attack. Within hours of this attack a campaign of violence spread all throughout the country. The Tutsi and Hutu had problems regarding power prior to this attack so when the plane was shot down, it resulted in more ongoing violence. The attack was compared to the final nail in the coffin or the last maximum tolerance. This was one of the catastrophic killing that lead the build up of the Rwandan Genocide.

In the History article 'Rwandan Genocide' (2009), History.com Editors dig deeper into the causes of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide killed about 800,000 people and was mainly a battle between the Hutu and Tutsis ethnic groups. The genocide unfortunately spread throughout the country at a shocking, brutal speed. These two ethnic group did not get along because the Hutu extremists were angered and would soon take action to win more power. The genocide all began when a plane carrying Habyarimana and Burundi's president Cyperien Ntaryamira was shot down. Although the culprits are still undetermined it is firmly believed to have been a violent Hutu act. Another cause was when the Hutu Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana along with 10 of her bodyguards were shot and killed on April seventh. Within the next three months of these violent acts almost 800,000 people were killed. These multiple acts of hate in Rwanda led to one of the most infamous genocides in history

In his The Ten Stages of Genocide article, 'Classification Symbolization, Discrimination, Dehumanization, Organization, Polarization, Preparation, Persecution, Extermination Denial' (2013) Gregory H. Stanton explains the ten stages or process that happens during a genocide. All ten stages of a genocide are predictable and could happen simultaneously. Classification or the categories people are distinguished into are centered mainly around ethnicity, race, religion or nationality. Symbolization is used to demonstrate something that is universally human. Symbolization is used in many ways and is not always bad. When the dominant group denies the rights of other groups it is call discrimination. If we were to prevent discrimination it would mean full political power and citizenship for all society groups. Dehumanization is when the humanity of someone gets taken away, denied, or misused. A genocide is always organized. The organization of a genocide will sometimes be informal or decentralizing but it can also be very well put together and strict. In a genocide, extremists are the main reason groups are driven apart in the stage of polarization. Genocidal preparation includes 'ethnic cleansing' and 'purification' in order for the group leaders to plan their next movement. Victims are often separated out and some are condemned to death, this is called persecution. Persecution intentionally kills or destroys groups and is therefore considered genocidal behavior. Extermination is considered a genocide because the victims are believed to not fully be human, they are dehumanized and killed. The last stage is denial. Denial happens all throughout the ten stages. It is when the leaders of the genocide hid any evidence of killing and deny that they committed any crimes. The leaders will also blame any of the killings of the victims and say that none of it was there faults. The ten stages of a genocide helps with the deeper explanation rather than just what we see on the surface of all the bad.