The Root causes of the Rwandan Genocide

The Root causes of the Rwandan Genocide

There is no need to write academic or freelance journalism books about the Rwandan genocide. Simply, the root causes of the Rwandan tragedy of 1994 are:

1)The long historical ethnic discrimination and apartheid practiced by The Tutsi ( about 14 % of the total Rwandan population) against the Hutu ( more than 85% of the total population).

2)The vast majority of Hutu community’s feared of the return of the apartheid and discriminatory monarchy system that was practiced by the minority Tutsi community against the enslaved majority Hutu community for about 500 years.

3)The Hutu community’s feared of Kagame’s guerrilla that committed massacres in the North of the country and other parts of the country including assassinations of Rwandan politicians.

4) The Rwandan people felt abandoned by the International Community ( who was believed to support Kagame’s guerrilla), and then decided to defend themselves with whatever means they had against the advance of Kagame’ guerrilla supported by Ugandan, Tanzanian and Ethiopian armies, UK and USA.

5) Kagame’s refusal to share political power with the Government he was fighting against because he was relying on full US, UK and Uganda military support to defeat the former Rwandan regime.

6) Kagame deliberately put the lives of Tutsi his life in danger by recruiting them to sympathise and support financially the war that was killing Hutus in the North and the former regime’ politicians known to have been killed by Kagame. This led to the reprisals by Hutu against the Tutsi. Kagame fought the war on internal ethnic mobilisation of Tutsi rather than on national and cross-ethnic cause. The wide military and intelligence infiltration in the country by Kagame soldiers was the preparation of the genocide.

7) Romeo Dallaire  who served as Force Commander of  United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994 was pro-Kagame war. He failed to maintain the neutrality over Rwandan  conflicts. The Rwandan  people, the government and the army was aware of this.  After he has been meeting with Kagame on several occasions.