Effects of the 1990-1994 civil war in Rwanda

It led to a genocide in Rwanda In which between 800,000-1,000,000 people died. The Hutu government had trained a killing force known as Intarahamwes who killed several Tutsi especially starting June 1994. They also killed some Hutu who sympathised with the Tutsi invaders.
 
The RPF assumed power in Kigali. This was a military government mainly dominated by ex-Tutsi refugees.
Refugee crisis. The RPF invasion of Rwanda led to a massive exodus of Hutu to neighbouring countries-especially the Democratic Republic of Congo/Zaire and Tanzania. This was especially after capture of Kibuye town by the RPF in April 1994.
 
It exposed the double standards of the UN. This was because it formed the United Nations Assistance Mission In Rwanda- UNAMR with an aim of reducing the extent of killings in Rwanda. However in April 1994, the UN security council reduced the number of peace keeping forces to only 2500 troops, yet ethnic tensions were rising.
 
Then later the UN troops were increased to 5,500. Another aspect which showed the UN double standards was the sending of peace keeping forces to assist the Hutu yet in 1959 the UN had kept a distance when the Tutsi suffered.
 
It revealed the weakness of the OAU. The OAU was revealed as a toothless body incapable of handling large scale civil wars in Africa. It withdrew its troops in April 1994 at the height of the crisis on the excuse of financial hardships. Hence it failed to effect the Arusha resolution to stop the war.
 
Relations between Uganda and Kenya deteriorated. This was when President Moi of Kenya accused President Museveni of Uganda of causing instability in Rwanda. And for quite some time, Uganda has been seen by her neighbours-Kenya, Sudan and Congo- as a small destabilizing force in the great lakes region.
 
Social reconciliation. After assuming power, the RPF made an attempt to reform the country and reconcile with the Hutu. This was demonstrated when Pastor Bizimungu-a Hutu was appointed as Rwanda's president and Twagiramungu as a Prime Minister. However real power rested En the hands of the vice president Paul Kagame- a factor, which later led to the resignation of Bizimungu.

Paul Kagame talks to supporters following his election to the Rwandan presidency in April 2000. Kagame, a former vice president and minister of defense, is the first member of the ethnic Tutsi group to serve as head of state since Rwanda became independent in 1962.

International concern. An international tribunal was set up to try the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. This started in May 1996 at Arusha.
 
It led to strained relations between Kenya and Rwanda. This was because president Moi refused to hand over/release the architects of the Rwanda genocide as demanded by Paul Kagame- the vice president of Rwanda. A number of Rwandese diplomats were expelled from Kenya.
 
Evacuation of foreign nationals from Rwanda. As the civil war and ethnic cleansing intensified, foreign nationals from France, Britain and USA were evacuated from Rwanda and taken to Nairobi in April 1994. From there, some of them connected back to Europe.
 
It led to the fall of other African governments e.g. In Burundi in 1994 and Mobutu's government in 1997.
 
It contributed to the civil strife in the Democratic Republic of Congo especially when Rwanda followed up the Hutu refugees . This led to extreme killings of Hutus especially in Goma Camp. This even made Mobutu to threaten the expulsion of the Hutu which in rum led to his downfall.
 
Franca-Phone countries (France and Belgium) lost influence in Rwanda while U.S.A came in to dominate.
There was total destruction of property resulting from constant bombing, looting, vandalism and deliberate destruction of the wealth owned by some Tutsis. Even the Tutsi also had to revenge in the process of weakening the Hutus. Indiscrimate bombing of trading centres, government offices in Kigali was a coomon phenomena as can be seen in the photo below. The smoke is rising from the burning Houses.

"Imperialism was the root cause of the Rwanda uprising of 1959." Discuss
 Approach: Identification of the Rwanda uprising. Show the role of imperialism vis-avis other factors m leading to the outbreak of the revolution. Standpoint is required
 
The Twa [1% of the population] were the original inhabitants of Rwanda. From about 1000 AD the Hutu, mostly farmers of Bantu stock [85%] began occupying the territory. In the 16th and 17th centuries there was another wave of migration of the Watutsi [14%]. Rwanda was first colonised by the Germans and later by the Belgians [1918-1962]. In 1959, there was a clash between the Hutu and Tutsi which to a large degree was attributed to imperialism as illustrated hereunder.
 
The divide and rule policy of the imperialists was one of the key factors.
 
The influence of riots in Belgian Congo against Belgian imperialists also acted as an inspiration to the Rwandese to rise up against the same Belgians.
 
Earlier on in 1959, riots broke out in Leopoldville, Stanleyville, etc. Since Rwanda and Belgian Congo are neighbours and having by then a common enemy, no doubt the Rwandese were also influenced to struggle for freedom.
 
The emergency of many political parties served to create a revolutionary atmosphere. The divisions that were created between the Rwandese by the imperialists made these parties to be formed on ethnic lines.
 
UNAR was determined to frustrate Tutsi political parties and consolidate the feudal relations.
 
The death of Umwami Matara Rudahigwa in July 1959 provided ground for recourse to violence.
 
The Belgian pending reforms in 1959 also made the revolution inevitable.
 
The pre-independence elections as organised by Belgians in 1959 generated conflict.
 
 
Institutional weakness should be blamed on the imperialists. The Germans and Belgians never bothered to establish a body to resolve the ethnic conflict of whose seeds they had sown amongst the Hutu and the Tutsi.
 
The imperialist policy of forced labour was a significant cause.
 
 
They were flogged and worked under intensive supervision to produce crops for the colonial economy to benefit. Pregnant women had to suffer from miscarriages. This only necessitated a spark for the bomb to explode.
 
Overtaxation of the Hutu was also partly responsible for the political chaos in Rwanda in 1959. Heavy taxes were mainly imposed on the Hutu.
 
The unfair land distribution between the Tutsi and the Hutu and the need by the Hutu to redress the situation contributed to the outbreak of the Rwanda revolution of 1959.
 
Unemployment as attributed to Belgian discriminative policies acted as a contributing factor to the outbreak of the Rwanda revolution of 1959.
 
Failure of the Belgians to block the Tutsi from undermining Hutu agricultural activities aroused anger of the Hutu to attack the Tutsi. The Tutsi pastoralists, with a lot of contempt, grazed their cattle on Hutu farms/crops.
 
The existence of a lord-peasant relationship between the Hutu and Tutsi worsened the situation to cause a revolution. The Tutsi pastoralists boasted of their possession of large heads of the cattle, skills in warfare despite their small population. Hence they planted serf relations with the agricultural Hutu.
 
But the Belgians remained unbothered about this archaic kind of relationship. The Hutu, therefore, wanted to go it themselves and this came in a revolution.
 
Press censorship should also be considered. The Belgians never allowed press freedom for fear of criticisms, or arousing the nationalistic sentiments among the Rwandese.
 
The weak Belgian education system was also partly responsible for the outbreak of the Rwanda uprising of 1959.
 
 
The change of attitude of Belgian administration to the side of the Hutu militated the earlier situation of the two groups in Rwanda.
 
Ethnicity was one the great factors in the Rwanda crisis of 1959.
 
Other factors
 
The role of the Umwami should be noted.
 
The role of Nyabingi cult was blamed for the outbreak of the Rwanda revolution of 1959.
 
The Gitarama incident was the spark factor.
 
How far did economic factors lead to the outbreak of the 1959 Rwanda revolution?
• Approach: Identification of the Rwanda Revolution of 1959. Analyse the role of the economic factors vis-a-vis other factors in leading to its outbreak. Standpoint
 
Points to consider (economic factors)
 
Unequal land distribution, Unemployment-especially of the Hutu, Destruction of Hutu economic activities by the Tutsi - unleashing cattle on Hutu agricultural farms, Overtaxation, The archaic kind of master-servant relationship between the Tutsi and Hutu
 
Other factors, [social]
 
Belgian double standard approach. Ethnicity. Famine. The Tutsis claim that God had sent them to rule the Hutu was an ethnic kind of thought. Tutsi dominance of the education system
  • Political
The dictatorship of the Urowani over the Hutu. The weaknesses of Kigera V - Young and inexperienced. The formation of tribal political parties. The struggle for independence. Belgian pending reforms. The pre-independence elections. Absence of press freedom

Examine the impact of the Rwanda revolution of 1959
Approach: Identification of the Rwanda revolution. Give and explain positive & negative effects of the revolution. Standpoint required
  • Positively, the Hutu succeeded in the taking over power from the Tutsi.
  • The Hutu were able to get land after the revolution.
  • Tutsi refugees were able to get employment.
  • Negatively, the revolution failed to make a breakthrough the Belgian authority
  • Belgians remained in force; a state of emergency was imposed on Rwanda an public meetings were banned.
  • Many Tutsi and white settlers fled Rwanda.
  • There was mass killing and loss of property.
• The Tutsi exilees were used to topple governments. In the 1980s, NRA to topple Obote and later Lutwa from power used those who fled into Uganda. Those who moved to Congo (Banyamulenge) were in 1997 used by Laurent Kabila to overthrow Mobutu.
  • Certain sections of the Watutsi were unwilling to accept the loss of their privileged position.
  • The Hutu regime denied the Tutsi refugees their citizenry rights.
  • There was a surprise invasion of Rwanda in 1990.
  • The Hutu lost power since 1959. Following their overthrow in 1994, they formed the Interahamwe group.
  • Review questions
"Ethnicity was the root cause of the Rwanda revolution of l959" Discuss
• Approach: Define ethnicity. Identify the Rwanda revolution. Analyse the role of ethnicity and other factors in the outbreak of the revolution
  • Standpoint required Question
Account for the outbreak of the Rwanda revolution of 1959.
Approach: Identify the revolution. Given and explain reasons for its outbreak only.
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National Movements and New States in Africa