Essay On Sri Lankan Genocide

Many factors can be pointed to as the culprit in the creation of mass genocide and civil wars, but I have derived the theory that the greatest contributing factor to these conflicts is major differences in ethnic and cultural identity when presented with a vacuum in political power. I will explore the cases of both Sri Lanka and Rwanda -both former colonies that experienced mass bloodshed once independence was granted- by comparing their histories as colonies, the violence experienced, and the differences in identity found between the most prominent groups in each respective country. Initially colonized in 1505 by the Portuguese, Sri Lanka remained under European control until 1948, finally gaining independence in a bid that united the previously warring factions on the island. After this fight, a Sinhalese leader was implemented, and the minority Tamil found themselves on the end of a plethora of political injustices and discriminatory practices (Bajoria 2009). As a colony from 1887 to 1963, Rwanda was under the control of Germany and then later Belgium, where a class system was created and the minority Tutsi highly favored over the majority Hutu as it was determined that the Tutsi possessed ‘‘advanced intelligence. Hence, the colonial powers engaged in the self-fulfilling prophecy …show more content…
The Hutu had existed under “years of oppressive Tutsi rule, and many of them not only resented but also feared the minority,” (United Human Rights Council). In this instance the genocide existed as a direct retaliation to previous oppression, while the Sri Lanka conflict arose from a misuse of governmental power against the minority emerging from a longstanding history of struggles between the two ethnic