The Rwandan Genocide: A Complex Web of Politics, Ethnicity, and Impotence

Strategic Insights -

The ongoing slaughter in Rwanda has left the international community in a state of confusion, with the United Nations struggling to respond effectively to the crisis. The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), composed mainly of Tutsi rebels who fled pogroms in 1959, has tightened its grip on Kigali, while the ill-disciplined Rwandan army is no match for the battle-hardened RPF soldiers. The RPF has made it clear that any UN intervention between the warring forces will be treated as an enemy force and will be engaged.

The manipulation of ethnic politics by the ruthless Western-backed military dictatorship of General Juvenal Habyarimana has obscured the true nature of the conflict. The general, who came to power in 1973, has exploited the country's poverty and land-hunger to maintain his regime's power and privilege. Rwanda's high population density, with only 29% of the land suitable for agriculture, has led to massive degradation and neglect of peasant families. The government has ignored the plight of the peasants, mobilizing Hutu loyalty by blaming social and economic problems on the Tutsi "enemies."

The RPF's response to these atrocities has been remarkable restraint, even in the face of provocations and personal grief. Australian aid workers have gained expertise in addressing the psychological scars of violence, as seen in Mozambique, and the Australian Government is urged to provide a thorough cultural and historical background briefing to troops dispatched to Rwanda. International support is also needed to assist courageous Rwandan human rights activists who may have survived the slaughter.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Rwandan genocide is a complex web of politics, ethnicity, and impotence, with the UN struggling to respond effectively to the crisis.
  • The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), composed mainly of Tutsi rebels, has tightened its grip on Kigali, while the Rwandan army is no match for the RPF soldiers.
  • The manipulation of ethnic politics by the ruthless Western-backed military dictatorship of General Juvenal Habyarimana has obscured the true nature of the conflict.
  • Rwanda's high population density has led to massive degradation and neglect of peasant families, with the government ignoring their plight and blaming social and economic problems on the Tutsi "enemies."
  • The RPF has shown remarkable restraint in the face of provocations and personal grief, with Australian aid workers gaining expertise in addressing the psychological scars of violence.
  • International support is needed to assist courageous Rwandan human rights activists who may have survived the slaughter and to provide a thorough cultural and historical background briefing to troops dispatched to Rwanda.

Statistics:

  • Over 1 million displaced people were in Rwanda by late 1992 due to the fighting.
  • Rwanda has Africa's highest population densities, with only 29% of the land suitable for agriculture.
  • The government has ignored the plight of peasant families, mobilizing Hutu loyalty by blaming social and economic problems on the Tutsi "enemies."
  • The RPF has made it clear that any UN intervention between the warring forces will be treated as an enemy force and will be engaged.
  • The Australian Government is urged to provide a thorough cultural and historical background briefing to troops dispatched to Rwanda.
  • The underlying problems of Rwanda, grinding poverty and land-hunger, need to be addressed.

Sources:

  • David Dorward, director of La Trobe University's African Research Institute
  • "Map, table, photos Seeking nourishment: a refugee and her child at a camp in Tanzania; Homeless, but alive: refugees from the killing in Rwanda queue for water in a Tanzanian camp"
  • United Nations Assistance Mission to Rwanda (UNAMIR)
  • French and Belgian troops in Rwanda
  • Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)
  • United States and Security Council involvement in Rwanda
  • Australian Government and aid workers in Rwanda
  • Human rights activists in Rwanda