Rwandan Genocide Review
Description 1990/91 The Rwandan army begins to train and arm civilian militias known as interahamwe ("Those who stand together")
What Stage is This? O Organization
Description O Early warnings of the Rwandan genocide were ignored because policy makers perceived it as a “civil war”, denied the facts, and decided not to intervene, preventing US and UN lawyers from calling the killing “genocide.” Early reinforcement of UNAMIR could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives, but “group-think” precluded consideration of direct military intervention by the US and allied forces, though they were near Rwanda and rescued their own nationals. Unwilling to financially and militarily support a reinforced UNAMIR, the U.S., U.K. and U.N. Security Council ordered UNAMIR to leave Rwanda, because they did not consider Rwandan lives worth saving at the risk of their own troops. O - Gregory H. Stanton
What Stage is this? O denial
Description Rwandans were labelled in terms of their race on passports and personal identification papers
What Stage is This? O symbolization
Description O November 1992 Prominent Hutu activist Dr. Leon Mugusera appeals to Hutus to send the Tutsis "back to Ethiopia" via the rivers.
What Stage is This? O organization
Description O The ethnic groups in Rwanda the Tutsi, Hutu and Twa are actually very similar - they speak the same language, inhabit the same areas and follow the same traditions
What Stage is This? O Classification
Description O Messages of hate were broadcast over the radio, encouraging the killing of Tutsi and opponents to the Hutu regime. The messages portrayed Tutsis as evil cockroaches and rats.
What Stage is This? O Dehumanization
Description Extremist radio station, Radio Mille Collines, begins broadcasting exhortations to attack the Tutsis.
What Stage is This? O organization
Description The Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) and the interahamwe set up roadblocks
What Stage is This? O Preparation
Description O Almost one million people were killed during 100 days of genocide.
What Stage is This? O Extermination
Description O 1926 Belgians introduce a system of ethnic identity cards differentiating Hutus from Tutsis.
What Stage is This? O symbolization
Description Hutus from the president's home area of northern Rwanda are given overwhelming preference in public service and military jobs. This pattern of exclusion of the Tutsis continues throughout the '70s and '80s.
What Stage is This? O Dehumanization
Description O 1973 Purge of Tutsis from universities
What Stage is This? O polarization
Description O April 30, 1994 The U.N. Security Council spends eight hours discussing the Rwandan crisis. The resolution condemning the killing omits the word "genocide." Had the term been used, the U.N. would have been legally obliged to act to "prevent and punish" the perpetrators
What Stage is This? O Denial
Description O A policy of ethnic quotas is entrenched in all public service employment. Tutsis are restricted to nine percent of available jobs.
What Stage is This? O Polarization