Rwanda s Divided History Rwanda - 2233 Words

Rwanda’s Divided History Similar to the Apartheid in South Africa, the genocide in Rwanda was not a random event. It was instead the result of generations of discrimination and abuse based on ethnic groups. In the early 19th century during Rwanda’s colonial period, there already existed a divide between the elite Tutsi cattle herders and the majority of the population who were peasant farmers, known as Hutu.[i] In 1918, Rwanda came under Belgian control, â€Å"during which the ruling Belgians favored the minority Tutsis over the Hutus, exacerbating the tendency of the few to oppress the many.†[ii] In 1933, the Belgians then proceeded to institutionalize this system of discrimination by mandating ethnic ID cards, while still favoring the Tutsi†¦show more content†¦Later that year the Security Council also established the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) to support the peace process but limited their involvement to peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and general s upport.[iv] Despite these attempts to create peace and ease rising tensions in the region, plans to exterminate Tutsis and moderate Hutus were already being created by the Hutu extremists and Interahamwe (militia), literally meaning â€Å"Those Who Attack Together.† Ultimately on April 6, 1994, following the plane crash killing the Presidents of Burundi and Rwanda, violence erupted across Rwanda as Hutus began to massacre Tutsis. Again the radio was instrumental in the coordination of attacks and encouraged Hutus to massacre Tutsis. RTLMC would often use coded language to communicate messages such as â€Å"go to work† which â€Å"everyone knew [that] meant get your machete and kill Tutsis.†[v] The radio that once featured pop music, disc jockeys, and phone-ins became a â€Å"powerful medium† in motivating Hutus to kill their fellow man. Despite efforts from the Belgian ambassador to shut down the broadcasts, they