Genocide is “the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group” (“Genocide”). In short, genocide is the mass murder of a certain group of people, whether it’s because of their race, beliefs, political opinions, or ethnic background. Everyone in this world is different, but some of these differences can cause tension. Some of these tensions stem from hatred, politics, and power, which are all causes of the Rwandan genocide. The Rwandan genocide is one of the most brutal and bloodiest genocides of all time, resulting in over 800,000 deaths.
The Rwandan genocide was a horrific mass murder that took place in Rwanda in the year of 1994. Rwanda was once run by the Tutsi population, until the Hutus gained …show more content…
The mysterious shooter has never been identified, and it’s unknown how the shooting was arranged. It was also unknown whether a Hutu or a Tutsi had committed the crime, however, the Hutus still blamed the Tutsis and began to murder them. Most of the Hutus slaughtered the Tutsis immediately, either with machetes or clubs. Some of the Tutsis were tortured. Hutu extremists forced other Hutus to kill their Tutsi spouses, while Tutsi men were forced to kill their entire family. Tutsi women were kidnapped and made to work as sex-slaves. According to “Genocide in Rwanda,” 800,000 thousand Tutsis --- ¾ of the Tutsi population --- were brutally murdered; 10,000 Tutsis were murdered everyday since the genocide started. The Tutsis tried to find places in which to hide; others tried to cross the border into other African countries, only to be shot on the spot. According to “Genocide in the 20th Century,” many Tutsis took refuge in churches and mission compounds. These places became the scenes of some of the worst massacres. One of the worst massacres took place at the Nyrabuye Roman Catholic Church on April 15 and ended the next day. A Hutu priest who worked at the church told the Tutsis that they can hide in the church and he’ll keep them safe. Later, the priest gave away the Tutsis’ hiding …show more content…
The Tutsis also had identification cards on their houses, along with the rest of Rwanda’s citizens. Hutus went door to door, looking for houses that contained a card that read “Tutsi”. Hutus also believe that their enemies came from Ethiopia; therefore, they dumped Tutsi corpses into the river to “send them back to Ethiopia”. Another way to spread hate propaganda and Tutsi locations was through the Rwanda radio. The Hutu extremists set up radio stations and newspapers which broadcast hate propaganda, urging people to “weed out the cockroaches” meaning to kill the Tutsis (“Rwanda Genocide: 100 Days of Slaughter). These radio station used their time not only to spread Tutsi-related hate, but to also give away secret hiding places where they were hiding. Hateful names were used to call Tutsis like, “cockroaches” and “vermin”. Unlike other genocides like the Holocaust, however, Hutus never forced Tutsis in places similar to ghettos and concentration camps. They were killed in their homes, on the streets, or anywhere else where a Tutsi was found. Just like other mass murders, there were some rules put into place against the Tutsis. Up until the 1980’s, the words “Tutsi” and “Hutu” were forbidden in Burundi. Although the law has since been taken down, Hutus still refuse to call them Tutsi and instead used negative terms. Tutsi were also neglected special
The Rwandan genocide was a horrific mass murder that took place in Rwanda in the year of 1994. Rwanda was once run by the Tutsi population, until the Hutus gained …show more content…
The mysterious shooter has never been identified, and it’s unknown how the shooting was arranged. It was also unknown whether a Hutu or a Tutsi had committed the crime, however, the Hutus still blamed the Tutsis and began to murder them. Most of the Hutus slaughtered the Tutsis immediately, either with machetes or clubs. Some of the Tutsis were tortured. Hutu extremists forced other Hutus to kill their Tutsi spouses, while Tutsi men were forced to kill their entire family. Tutsi women were kidnapped and made to work as sex-slaves. According to “Genocide in Rwanda,” 800,000 thousand Tutsis --- ¾ of the Tutsi population --- were brutally murdered; 10,000 Tutsis were murdered everyday since the genocide started. The Tutsis tried to find places in which to hide; others tried to cross the border into other African countries, only to be shot on the spot. According to “Genocide in the 20th Century,” many Tutsis took refuge in churches and mission compounds. These places became the scenes of some of the worst massacres. One of the worst massacres took place at the Nyrabuye Roman Catholic Church on April 15 and ended the next day. A Hutu priest who worked at the church told the Tutsis that they can hide in the church and he’ll keep them safe. Later, the priest gave away the Tutsis’ hiding …show more content…
The Tutsis also had identification cards on their houses, along with the rest of Rwanda’s citizens. Hutus went door to door, looking for houses that contained a card that read “Tutsi”. Hutus also believe that their enemies came from Ethiopia; therefore, they dumped Tutsi corpses into the river to “send them back to Ethiopia”. Another way to spread hate propaganda and Tutsi locations was through the Rwanda radio. The Hutu extremists set up radio stations and newspapers which broadcast hate propaganda, urging people to “weed out the cockroaches” meaning to kill the Tutsis (“Rwanda Genocide: 100 Days of Slaughter). These radio station used their time not only to spread Tutsi-related hate, but to also give away secret hiding places where they were hiding. Hateful names were used to call Tutsis like, “cockroaches” and “vermin”. Unlike other genocides like the Holocaust, however, Hutus never forced Tutsis in places similar to ghettos and concentration camps. They were killed in their homes, on the streets, or anywhere else where a Tutsi was found. Just like other mass murders, there were some rules put into place against the Tutsis. Up until the 1980’s, the words “Tutsi” and “Hutu” were forbidden in Burundi. Although the law has since been taken down, Hutus still refuse to call them Tutsi and instead used negative terms. Tutsi were also neglected special