Lecture 27: Introducing Rwanda

This happened in 1994 and was probably humanities worst foot forward. The cold war was over
it was the modern era. It happened in a country which most people would fail to locate on a map.
This genocide was not just shocking, but raised ugly questions. Do we value human lives different all
over the world? The overwhelming answer is YES. The UN and its state of helplessness is evident
because no country even form the security council comes forward to help in the crisis situation.
There is documented footage of both people who survived and performed the genocide. This is
possible because this time the genocide wasnt being carried out by a para military force the
whole country was at it. It is systematic killing by the ordinary people by everybody neighbours
who attack you with machetes, rape you, hack you to death.

The international response to these people is pathetic. Whatever one may say about USA One
thing we have to accept is that the US is interventionist works as a good thing. There are some times
which require intervention. There was something that happened which made US change this
intervention policy in terms of Africa.

In 1993 in Somalia the capital Mogadishu is taken on by a radical group. Washington believes that
this group is not really armed or equipped. They send in a group of marines in a helicopter. The idea
is for helicopter to land in the US embassy. As soon as this helicopter enters Somalia air space, the
helicopter is shot down using an anti aircraft missile. This is not what US had estimated. The US
again under-estimate the group, and send another helicopter. The same sequence of events follows.
16 marines, 2 of which are now dead have to fight for their own safetly. The locals were fighting the
rebels, but even the locals dont want the Americans. This becomes a HUGE embarrassment for the
American administration because the marines are stripped naked, beaten and paraded and killed.
This is when the bill Clinton administration makes a decision to remain neutral in all further African
issues. Hence the US policies in terms of Africa were hereby non-interventionist.

Rwanda neighbours are Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the democratic republic of Congo. At the
centre of Rwanda is its capital Kigali, and on the borders of Uganda and Rwanda there is lake
Victoria. Most of these regions north of Rwada are marked in green because they are dense tropical
rainforest, and this continues into congo. Rwanda is largely non forested.

Historically Rwanda was divided into 3 major kinds. 85% were Hutus, the biggest minorities 10 11
% were Tutsis. This constituted 96% of the Rwandan population. The remaining 4 percent is a tribal
community the TWA. Twas are not involved in this conflict as they are tribals and have nothing to
do with the functioning of the state. The conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis is called an
ethnic conflict.

This conflict came because of some history. In the early 20th century. The distinction between the H
and the T was not ethnic. H wee agriculturists and T were animal husbandry people. That was the
basic classification. Rwanda is invaded and colonized by the Belgians in the late 1800s. Even though
geographically is it the same size, it was superior in terms of power.

The Belgians create a worse distinction between the H and T. This was a sadist policy of divide and
rule. They introduced the ideas that teh T the minotiries the 10 percent are slightly fairer. This
untrue idea is promoted. The idea proposed is that the T may have some kind of European descent,
hence they are superior. The basic reason is that T are in animal work, and the H are darker because
of tanning from farming. This idea once introduced, it sticks.

In 1900s the Germans take of Rwanda from Belgium. They hold on till the end of WW1. The Germans
are also very fascinated with racial superiority. They are happy about the slightly fairer skins of the T.
The Germans take it one step ahead and get everybody to carry an ICard Hutu/Tutsi. Thereby they
fix their races as well as their occupations for final.

The Germans lose WW1, and they have to pull out. Belgium again gets Rwanda. From the end of
WW1 till 1962, Belgium rules Rwanda, even after colonialism was over. During this LONG LONG
phase, the racial divide is taken further. They empower the T the minority. This is important
because tactically, if you empower the majority they will throw you out. If you empower the
minority, they will definitely keep you in because you are the only reason why they are in power.
Hence the Belgians empower the T with the logic of European descent.

Every evening, T leaders governors etc had to address the H. To tell them why they were
subordinates. The H would be on the ground, and the T leader would be given a small elevated
surface to show superiority. When the T leader had finished and needed to get up, they would be
given a spear to dig the spear into the ground to get up. One child had to offer his leg on this foot
the spear would be pierced for the chief to get up. This kid would be lame for life. The logic was
what is the H kid going to do anything. This was a cruel practice. This was empowering the minority
to an extent that the minority feels invincible.

The Belgians leave in 1962 as they were the last European power still practicing colonialism. It was
now getting embarrassed. 1962 onwards the T and H form a collation government. The T start
getting faded out. By 1991 there is a threat of a civil war between some H and some T. Two groups
form beyond the government. The central government in Kigali is a collation dominated by Hutus
on the surface they are moderates.

The north of Rwanda some Tutsis fearful of attack had created their own militia called the RPF =
Rwandan Patriotic Force. Their leader was a man called Paul Kagame. He is also the current rwandan
leader. The H had their own band of extremists people who believed that all Ts should be killed
like cancer which needs to be cleansed out. Even those T who support H needed to be killed. This
group called itself the interahamwe. This was a massive militia. They couldnt afford any firearms
they just had sharpened bamboo ships and machetes which they had in tonnes. The Interahamwe
are extremist Hutus and teh RPF are radical T. The Interahamwe are lead by a man called John
Kigamba.

The situation was getting too heated up, and the UN in 1991 decides to send peacekeeping forces to
Rwanda to act as a boundary between these two militias. These were 1500 in number. The head of
UN Security is a man by the name Romeo Delair. He is Canadian. He has never personally feel
combat. UN peace keeping force dont usually get attacked, because attacking UN peacekeeping
would mean involving super powers. Hence Romeo is quite sure about the safety of these troops.

The Americans dont send any troops. France and Belgium has sent in troops. India sent in 25
people, Sri Lanka sends 3. Peacekeeping troops have to do what the UN general says they cannot
take orders from their own countries. They are also lightly armed. They are based out of Hotel
Rwanda in the centre of Kigali because thats here the threat of Interahamwe is the largest.

VIDEO

Its ultimately RPF - Paul Kagame leading is what brings an end to the genocide. They tell the UN that
its because of you that we cannot march into Kigali to take over. You need to make sure you keep
the Tutsis safe, otherwise let us come in and take over. However, deair cannot allow them to come
and take over because he has been instructed for there to be no fights between the H and the T
because this would cause the situation to get completely out of hand.

When delair takes over starting August December, he finds that while the peace agreements is in
place, somebody is trying its best to test this peace agreement out, because every week a random H
or T is killed. The assasins and the motifs are unknown. Its almost as though they are testing each
other. By December 1993 an informant comes and tells delair that he is leaving the government
because they are planning something horrifying a large scale holocaust against all Tutsis. He wants
protection as he has defected and is now in danger, and more importantly he wants something to
be done about this situation. The kind of preparation by the H army needs more troops.

Delair write a letter to France and Belgium for more ammunition and troops. We have information
of a genocide. We need more support. The person heading the litigation from Africa at the UN Kofi
Anaan appeals to F and B to increase support. Neither respond positively. Kofi Anan sends a message
to delair saying there are going to be no more troops. Nobody is sending any, and we dont have
any.

Kofi Anan says tell the H government that the UN knows, and its watching you. Maybe if you instil
this fear in their minds, they MAY stop. The identity of the defector will have to be compromised
upon. This was almost a desperate plan. They wanted to let the peace agreements hold. This
completely backfires as the H govt understands what is behind this attempt. They see through it.

They make a plan to kill a few Belgian troops to make them pull out. But then, Belgian wouldnt
pull out alone, it would make sure France leaves with it in order to not appear to be the only people
running away. By 3rd April the situation has changed drastically. The president of Rwanda a
moderate hutu is to land at Kigali airport. Somebody fires his plane with an anti-aircraft missile. Ho
has killed a Hutu President? Is it the T? Or The H to complicate the process to be able to use this as
an excuse to kill T.

The Rwandan PM is a lady who is also a moderate. She could come under attack next. Her name is
Madam Agatha. He sends in his own troops to guard his house. What he miscalculates is these
forces are Belgian. The H now have an easy target.

VIDEO (The PM being killed and the Belgians being held hostage)

Bascially, the PM and President are dead and the extremists are in power. The Belgians have been
held hostage. He wants to negotiate. But they tell him that if you even bring up the topic of the
Belgians, we will kill all your forces. They are also well aware of the fact that nobody is coming to
save them. No troops are going to come.
Delair then tries to ask them as to why they were doing all this. They tell him that we have
something for you at the Kigali hospital. They ask him to check the morgue. There are potato bags in
the morgue these were the 10 Belgian soldiers. They have been beaten to death. Delair threatens
them with Belgian taking action. Belgian does exactly what the H govt had planned they pull out,
and they make France pull out too. Barely 450 troops are left now. The only remaining troops are
from the other African nations such as Ghana and Senegal. The strength in 1/3rd and he it told to not
intervene just observe.

By 10th april all bets are off. The UN decides to pull out all its own people as well. 1000s of people
go to Rwanda and take out their own people. US embassy staff, Un officials out of Rwanda. They get
news that Belgian and French civilians are hiding in a hospital at Kigali. Some tutsis are also here.
They are hiding from attack. On their way out there are the interhmawe on the sides of the roads
with machetes waiting for these people the westerners to leave so that they can kill the T.

VIDEO

The US embassy staff also gets all their staff out. The embassy officials are more empathetic. As they
are leaving they hide people inside the convoys and manage to smuggle out 50 tutsis. But this
was just a drop in the ocean. Belgium France US everybody pulls out. Only a handful of people stay
back. One of the leaders of the church a catholic missionary Carl Wilkens decides to
stay back to help. Single handedly he does A LOT. One more group which stayed and helped was the
international Red Cross.

VIDEO

Another such great man was Captain Embaye who alone worked towards to help the situation. On
the 20th anniversary of Rwanda a UN medal was given in his honour for extraordinary courage and
bravery. This is the highest gallantry award. After 20 years of silence, they accepted everything that
had happened in Rwanda.