The Tumultuous History of Rwanda and Its Effect on Human Rights

How the Bad Turns to Worse and the Worse Turns to Development

Today, the continent of Africa is made up of 54 distinct countries that cover an area of land of nearly 12 million square miles, which contains over one billion people that are considered to be one of the most linguistically diverse groups, speaking an estimated two thousand languages. Despite the positive characteristics of Africa with an immense amount of diversity in not only its people but also its natural resources and wildlife, a great many of the countries within the continent face a developing country status. Many of the major reasons for this can be explored by narrowing the vast scope of Africa and its countries down to one single country, Rwanda. Exploring Rwanda can help explain and relate the similar issues that face many other countries found in Africa. One of these issues which stands out far more than some others, and is being increasingly discussed by the world, is that of human rights. When discussing the topic of human rights issues there are very few circumstances where discussion of the history of Rwanda’s human rights issues and its continual effect on the growth and development of Rwanda can be left out.

HISTORY and BACKGROUND

Understanding why Rwanda can never be left out of any conversation of human rights issues in developing countries requires an understanding of the intense history of Rwanda starting from its settlement. In the 17th century, a group named the Tutsis established a formal kingdom that would be found in the area of present-day Rwanda where other groups were also living, such as the Hutus and the Twa. The start of colonialism in Rwanda began around 1899 when Rwanda became a part of German East Africa. However, after WWI, under a League of Nations mandate, Rwanda’s administration was to be controlled by the foreign country of Belgium and was held until 1962 when Rwanda gained its independence. The process of independence that Rwanda went through contains important details which hint at the possible origin for its human rights issues. In the 1950s two major groups of people made up Rwanda. The Tutsis were known to make up the elite class and were considered the minority, while the majority group was made up by the Hutus. Once the movement for independence began to catch on, in 1959 the elite Tutsis established a formal political party named, Union Nationale Rwandaise, and through encouragement from the ruling Belgian the Hutus established a party to rival the Tutsis for political power which was named Parti de l’emancipation du peuple Hutu or also referred to as Parmehutu for short.

The cause of the human rights disaster that was to come has its origin from colonial forces and the distinction of the Hutu and Tutsi groups and their struggle for power of Rwanda as independence from Belgium neared. The major human rights issue that was raised in Rwanda was mass genocide, from this many other specific human rights issues originated, such as the destruction of resources, forced mass migration, and negative health effects. The first escalation of the human rights issues occurred in 1960 as local elections were nearing. The Hutu Party encouraged an uprising of Hutu people against the Tutsis. This uprising resulted in the death of many Tutsis and the fleeing of the current King of Rwanda and thousands of Tutsis into neighboring African countries. From the point of the Hutu uprising, the tension between the two groups would only grow and result in further escalation and human rights violations committed on each other most notably genocide. Soon after this, the Hutus abolished the monarchy and made Rwanda a republic with its first president being the leader of the Hutu party. This led many Tutsis to flee Rwanda as the people of the Tutsi group faced discrimination and state-sponsored violence at the hands of Hutu leadership. As the number of Tutsi displaced into neighboring countries increased the Tutsis began to retaliate and another escalation occurred in 1963 with a Tutsi incursion that ended in the death of around 15,000 Tutsi by Hutu gangs. The number of refugees that accumulated from the genocide continued to grow as more and more human rights issues and violations occurred within the country. Eventually, the Hutu president was overthrown by a military coup which then further resulted in a dictatorship by Habyarimana (Walque and Verwimp 2010).

Eventually, the refugees from Rwanda formed a major group that would eventually be known as the Rwandese Patriotic Front or RPF. The main platform for which the RPF was concerned with was ending divisive politics and a genocidal ideology that had plagued the country (Walque and Verwimp 2010). In 1990, the RPF began their armed liberation of Rwanda eventually removing the dictatorship and ending the genocide. Soon after this in 1991 a new constitution was implemented with a multiparty democracy along with an ideology for power sharing in Rwanda during an event known as the Arusha Accords. Although at this point Rwanda was looking to finally be on a path to recovery a final major escalation occurred in 1994 when a plane carrying the former Hutu dictator was shot down killing all passengers. This violent death triggered another genocidal event by Hutu militia and part of the army in which a massacre of mostly Tutsi people and some Hutus that were considered to be associated with any Tutsi. Eventually, the RPF gained control and implemented the same values that were discussed during the Arusha Accords. At the end of the human rights issue of genocide, it was estimated that over one million people were killed of which greater than 90 percent were Tutsi.

IMPACT OVER the COURSE of DEVELOPMENT of HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES

Once the genocide in Rwanda had ended and a stable government was instituted there began a period of reconstruction. Many of the issues that stemmed off from the genocide had lasting effects that needed to be addressed. One of the first issues that had to be tackled was the socio-political reevaluation of the division between distinct groups. Rwanda had to face an understanding as one people of Rwanda rather than two separate groups of people, Hutu or Tutsi. This mental understanding of one group is something that has been reconciled over time as older destructive ideologies began to disappear. Coming from this is another area that was affected which was the culture in Rwanda. Before the Belgian reform took place the distinction between Hutu and Tutsi was of little importance and concern because the people of Rwanda lived in the same country, spoke the same language, and shared the same culture. But, once the Belgian reform took place the Hutu and Tutsi identities were reestablished and two separate cultural identities arose (Straus 2006). This also created a loss of their traditional lifeways as the country was split into two groups with differing ideas of each other and themselves.

With any country that experiences mass genocide and civil war, there will be major economic effects. In a developing country, these effects can be more devastating and severe making it difficult to reinitiate a stable economy. Some of these effects that were seen in Rwanda include the cease of trade exports and imports, currency devaluation, inflation, a breakdown of agricultural and other institutions as people were killed or forced to flee (Serneels and Verpoorten 2015). Along with the mass migration of around 2 million people and the killing of around 1 million in Rwanda also came an overall drastic decrease in a workforce that could help rebuild an economy. Second to this, during the conflict land and infrastructure was destroyed which would need to be repaired in order to be usable and contribute to economic growth. However, some parts of Rwanda are unrepairable or may cost too much to repair, this in turn decreases the amount of usable land and structures for economic growth.

During the armed conflict, the introduction of foreign aid to Rwanda was both unreliable and in some cases nonexistent. This lack of foreign aid meant a breakdown in nutrition and health for groups of people in Rwanda who were unable to secure a source of food or medicine. This also resulted in the spread of diarrheal disease, malaria, and other diseases that Rwandan people suffered due to lack of access to proper medicine, treatment, and healthcare. With a stable government in place after the time of conflict, these issues were addressed and are continually being fought with an increase in foreign aid able to work with a more stable and less dangerous country, and an increase in the combating of these diseases and other negative health impacts with the establishment of the program such as the National Malaria Control Programme. (Thaxton 2009)

As Rwanda began its reconstruction as a stable country there also began some environmental impacts of the reconstruction. Rwanda is a small country in land area and with its increase in population density comes a decrease in the available land for operations. A large part of Rwanda’s biodiversity has been lost as land is cleared for economic activities such as mining and as more and more refugees return and resettle. This land clearing has led to mass deforestation, making Rwanda one of the countries with the fastest deforestation rates in Africa. The destruction of the wetland has also increased as large amounts of water are drained to irrigate crops.

CURRENT STATUS

Despite Rwanda being widely known for the human rights struggle that occurred the country has taken big steps to rectify the wrongs and develop and grow a better country for its people. The human rights issue regarding genocide has stopped, but the many issues that stemmed off from the genocide are continually being managed today and thus the reconstruction and reconciliation is an ongoing process. The mass genocide that occurred was largely government-sponsored violence but today the government of Rwanda has completely changed. Rwanda’s government is seen as one of the freest, fairest, and most diverse governments. The government is made up of a majority of women who hold over 50 percent of the legislative seats, and the government holds ideologies that promote the good welfare of its people. Rwanda’s government also plays a major role in the prevention and reconciliation of human rights abuse among the close countries that border it, many of the human rights issues that spread into neighboring countries were a result as many fled the violence in Rwanda itself. Rwanda is also working to provide the healthcare and economic growth that its people need by implementing numerous programs and preventative measures to resolve and prevent further human rights issues.

The foreign powers and international communities have also learned a great deal of lessons from the tragedy in Rwanda. As the world stood by and watched the disaster unfold it became clear that intervention was needed to help stop the killing. United Nations forces pulled out as fighting began and because of this hundreds of thousands of people were impacted. Not only did this cause the United Nations to reform many of their policies but it also paved the way for the creation of a United Nations court system the assist the Rwandan government in holding those responsible for the genocide and human rights issues accountable. This specifically led to the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda or ICTR. This system has been so successful that it has been used as a model for other such events. Although the ICTR was meant to take on cases of greater priority the Rwandan government wanted to also help gain justice for the low-level cases and so traditional Gacaca courts were reestablished where community members were able to hear confessions. Through the Gacaca courts many Rwandans were able to discover what happened to their loved ones and find some peace. Even today the Gacaca courts play a role at preventing low-level conspiracy that if left unchecked could reinstate violence (Phil 2010). The international community has also helped to provide external aid to Rwanda through many programs and collaborations as Rwanda continues to reconstruct and develop from its past (Zorbas 2004).

IMPACT on DEVELOPMENT

The development and growth of a country rely on a number of factors that all contribute to the improvement and positive movement. Through civil war and many human rights violations, almost all the factors that contribute to the development of a country forward are impacted in some way, and most likely in a way that sets a country on a path backward. No matter the perspective that any anthropologist has its almost certain that all can agree that the kind of events that occurred in Rwanda are almost certainly going to set the country back and on a path in the opposite direction of development. The breakdown of the government provided no structure for the whole of Rwanda to grow. In some cases, the government was in place such as by the Hutu leaders of their political party and then by a military coup and eventually a dictatorship, but these governments was corrupt, genocidal in nature and worked in favor of their individualistic agendas rather than an agenda representing the whole of Rwanda. The government's focus was not on moving the country forwards but it was more focused on aspects that continually set Rwanda backward. This issue also set the economy in a downward spiral and broke the cultural identity of the people of Rwanda.

But there is a positive that exists to the unfortunate events that occurred. Development does not only mean that a country has a very strong economy it also means that its people have a sense of their identity and are working on a similar agenda for the betterment and positive growth of the country. In this, Rwanda exceeds, the human rights issues that occur all over Africa look to Rwanda as an example of how to recover and move forwards. The reconciliation strategies and justice system that was implemented through a stable and greatly fair, free, and diverse government provide the framework for other countries who face the issues or similar issues that Rwanda faced. The issues in a positive perspective of viewing show a country that was divided through colonial influence and ethnic identity become stronger and freer over the course of history. It is true that the human rights issues that occurred has impacted Rwanda on a massive scale, but the shift from what Rwanda once was to the country it now provides a lasting impact and golden example to Rwanda’s sister countries in Africa and to Rwanda itself. Through this Rwanda’s development although slowed is now thriving and moving forward to positive development.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Rwanda’s current course is one that is positive and moving forward but there is something to consider for the future of Rwanda as the country continues to grow. There is a heavy reliance on foreign aid in Rwanda and because of this I would recommend that the government implement a strategy or formal plan to begin to slowly rely more on their own rather than accepting the aid of other countries. Another reason for this recommendation is that continued acceptance and reliance on foreign aid can put Rwanda in a situation that many other African countries that rely too heavily on aid lost the money their country generates to foreign powers. Focusing less on the foreign aid to crutch Rwanda would help to ensure that in the future Rwanda would have the ability to support itself and continue to develop on its own.

Another recommendation is that Rwanda begins to implement conservation strategies for its natural resources. The natural resources of Rwanda can serve as the basis for its ability to support itself, but if those natural resources are destroyed continually Rwanda’s ability to function economically independently would become increasingly difficult. This situation could likely lead back to violence as some people will have no way to support themselves or their families. Second to the economic value of conserving natural resources this could also lead to the conservation of biodiversity within the country. This biodiversity and conservation of the land could lead to possible tourist destinations for travelers and thus could provide a sustainable and healthy way for economic growth through positive conservation.

To ensure that the people of Rwanda have the ability to support themselves adequately on the most basic levels I would recommend that the government work to ensure that access to arable land without destruction of the environment is available. I would also recommend that foreign aid that focuses on major infrastructure projects be held off and instead focus on ensuring rural and even urban communities have the access to the resources to support basic human needs. From this, it’s a possibility that if the Rwandan people are invested in then over time those people will become more invested in Rwanda and a positive feedback loop could occur.

I would lastly recommend that Rwanda continues to remember the tragic events that occurred and to continue on working with its people to make Rwanda a better country and further develop. It is important the Rwanda never forget the tragedies that occurred so that mistakes and human rights issues can be prevented and stopped before they ever get a chance to gain traction. Coming from this also means the recommendation that Rwanda works to ensure that its people are fairly represented in the government and that the Rwandan identity is not influenced by a foreign ideology but rather grown and maintained by the Rwandan people themselves and the government that represents them.

CONCLUSION

The human rights issues that were presented in Rwanda were some of the most tragic events to happen. The issues that plagued Rwanda for a brief part of their recent history have impacted the country in ways that will most likely last far longer than it took to occur. Although the lasting negative effects of Rwanda will be felt in the country for years to come on the point of development Rwanda is a golden example of the struggles that many African countries similar to Rwanda experience. The awareness of the human rights issues in Rwanda not only affected the country itself but also sparked positive development and reform for those international organizations such as the United Nations and foreign powers to be more decisive and able to take action when tragic events take place that negatively affects the human rights of people.