First Congo War

While most of the Belgian government policy had been changed Kayibana kept the system of ethnic identity cards. The Tutsi people who had fled the country began launching attacks into Rwanda, Hutu military troops responded and thousands were killed in these bloody guerilla battles. Tensions between the Hutu country of Rwanda and the Tutsi country of Burundi worsened, by the end of 1962 around 70,000 people had been killed. The Kayibanda regime sought international negotiation, social and economic reform, and development of Rwanda. He began forming international relations, and in his first ten years formed 43 alliances. However, the government had become corrupt, and with high unemployment rates ethnic tensions soared. After another Tutsi attack the government banned Tutsi political parties and executed their people. Many Tutsi refugees fled the country. In July of 1973, Tutsi Defence General Juvénal Habyarimana attacked Kayibana, and took over Rwanda, the Tutsi people once again held control of Rwanda. Outcry from the Hutu people came when the Tutsi held all positions in professional fields such as education or medicine. Tutsi people were forced to give up their jobs and many were killed. Slowly Habyarimana brought back many of Kayibana’s policies ultimately favoring the Hutu over the Tutsi. Habyarimana sought to create peace…

Pottier examines multiple events in the months and years following the 1994 genocide that illustrate why and how the RPF utilised the guilt card. His first example is the effectiveness of the RPF in influencing the news media of portraying them as the ‘good guys’ trying to re-establish ‘proper’ Rwandan history that favoured RPF interest. The most noticeable change was the ending of ethnicities within the country. RPF crafting of Western perceptions through the media established the foundations…

An example is one that is by the character who played the Prime Minister; Madame Agathe; “It is hard to love a child that is not so beautiful”. During that scene, General or peacekeeper; Roméo Dallaire, is having a conversation with Madam Agathe about how much she loves Rwanda even though the warring parties destroyed how beautiful it once was. The ‘child’ that is not so beautiful that is used in the quote, symbolizes Rwanda, and how hard it is to be happy living in it, when it’s…

Known in the Congo as Bayaka, the indigenous Baka people inhabit the Southeastern Rainforest in the Northern Republic of Congo. These people are huntergatherers. Sometimes the Baka are called a subgroup of the Twa because they have been historically called pygmies (a disrespectful term). The Twa and the Baka are not closely related. The Baka speak a unique language, that is called Baka. The Baka language is a different language family, Ubangian. Some in the Baka group speak the language of their…

The Obama Administration’s policy toward the Democratic Republic of the Congo is centered on helping the country become more democratic, at peace within its region, and more able to provide for the basic needs of its citizens. The U.S. provided $277 million in bilateral aid to DRC in 2016, along with $166 million in emergency assistance. Targeted sanctions under Executive Order 13413 (2006) focus on human rights issues such as sexual violence and child soldiers, both of which are exacerbated by…

Additionally, there's something you mentioned that I want to touch upon in reference to your statement: "Turnbull also touches on the fact that these are a dying people, and wants to preserve their history." I decided to do some poking around to see whether or not the Mbuti were still around even today, and I came across a pretty interesting article titled "Lured Toward Modern Life, Pygmy Families Left in Limbo." The article was published in the Washington Post back in 2006, and details how…

unique tribes of all of Africa. The name Baule, or “baouli”, means “the child has died.” “According to a legend, during the eighteenth century, the queen, Abla Poku, had to lead her people west to the shores of the Comoe, the land of Senufo. In order to cross the river, she sacrificed her own son.” They are an Akan group, so they speak a Tano language. This tribe has fought many wars, the longest was against the French; many other ethnic groups have not been able to keep their religion alive as…

Leopold and belgians colonized congo in 1885, due to the industrial revolution which made raw goods, money, and resources more desirable. Because this new found governmental power construct, western empire’s greed for control, as well as influence over neighboring rivals increased. Alongside this greed for power, came the thought process that Africans were inferior, and needed the help of European countries to make them more civilized, further motivating Western societies to take over, or at…

missiles were known to be shipped through Port Haiphong, but as the strategies of the Vietminh evolved, the Soviets responded with multitudes of sophisticated weapons, including Soviet PT-76 tanks that were successfully used against Americans in several battles (121). The extensive damage the United States obtained through the use of these soviet weapons could be eradicated if not for the fact that the USSR and the United States relations were at that time delicately balanced between uneasy…

We see the first chapter of The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien to be the foundation for the rest of the novel, with exquisite descriptions of everyone and everything, to the foreshadowing and symbolism that embodies each character and “what they carry”. O’Brien offers us basic descriptions of what each member of Alpha Company carries that is described as “largely determined by necessity” (2). Some would carry knives, extra rations and what seemed like an overkill of supplies, while others…