The genocide in the land of thousand hills—Rwanda

Rwanda is a land of thousand hills. Then you may ask me now, “What is Rwanda actually? Is that a kind of mountain or what?” Well, Rwanda is a small country in middle of Africa continent. It is located among Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burgundy. Rwanda is country with highest population rate in middle of Africa which has three major ethnic. Those are Hutu (the biggest ethnic group), Tutsi, and Twa. Rwanda is a beautiful country which attracts people from the France until Belgium. But, did you know Rwanda seems like an angel which has hidden sword? You might never imagine that genocide had happened here, in 1994 exactly. It was the most bleeding massacres in the end of 20^th century.

The genocide began when the president of Rwanda at that time—Juneval Habyarimana—was killed. Unfortunately this accident was used by the Hutu militias to provoke the Hutus for doing genocide. They said that the cockroaches—Tutsis—has killed their president. April 7, 1994 (based on UNMAIR—United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda) the genocide was beginning. Hutu militias with the help of Interahamwe and MRND (National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development) started murdering the Tutsis and Moderates of Hutu—Hutus who supported the equality of all the ethnics in Rwanda. For 100 days, Rwanda became as the ocean of blood. There were died body everywhere and many refugees in the U.N camp. They killed their victims brutally. They also raped the women from Tutsi ethnic and killed them. But, what was the worse? International world especially the big country—America, France, and UK—did not pay any attention to the genocide. They never sent their army to stop the genocide. They thought that Rwanda was worthless even invaluable. And this genocide was end in the middle of July in the same year. But, when the world had opened the eyes everything were late, thousands people had been killed.

The genocide was the reflection of Hutus against Tutsis. There were some factors that influenced the genocide. First was the ethnic diving by Belgian. On the past time when Belgian took authority of Rwanda governance, they put Tutsi in the highest social level meanwhile the Hutus were put in lowest social level. Because of this policy finally there was a social gap between Hutus and Tutsis which made both ethnics hate each other. But, after Rwanda got the independence in 1962 the situation became the opposite. One important thing that might support the crisis between Hutus and Tutsis into climax spot was the murdered of Habyarimana—a Rwanda president from Hutu. Without waiting any longer after the murdered news, Hutu militias began killing, chopping, raping, and shooting the Tutsis and Moderates of Hutu. More than 1.000.000 Tutsis and Moderates of Hutu were killed. They were men, women, and children. In the end of 1994 the population in Rwanda decreased more than 40% because of the genocide. Then Rwandan who survived from the genocide went out from Rwanda to Tanzania, Zaire, and the other countries. Rwanda became as a haunted country because no one wanted live there after the genocide.

After 1994, the intellectual actors of the genocide ran away from Rwanda. They left thousands unburied corpse. In the other hand the Hutus militias began to be caught and jailed. The Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda newly started in 1997, three years after the genocide. Until 2008 The Tribunal had given charges for more than four intellectual actors of genocide. In 1998 Bill Clinton which represented the U.S government, apologized the ignorance of his country in 1994. He believed that if that time U.S sent 5000 armies to Rwanda, they might be able to save 500.000 Rwandan from the genocide.

2008 was a new chapter in Rwanda. They did the first parliamentary election after the genocide. They began the new page in their history. Although there were still a lot of problems which still existed (reintegration among the victims, Hutu militias, and Interahamwe, the issue of refugees and etc), Rwandan was optimist about their future. Rwandan believes that next day is a good day for them as well as the international world has put its attention to this country. This bleeding experience may become a good teacher for them so they will not do the same mistake in the future. Now, it will be a good time for people in this country to forget and forgive the genocide and then start a new life in a reborn country—Rwanda—with peace.

By P. Wiryawan Paritranaya