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Essay / Causes of the Rwandan Genocide - 2309
On April 6, 1994, the deliberate and systematic extermination of millions of people of the Tutsi ethnic group began to strangle the entire population of Rwanda. The genocide destroyed lives; those who survived were left without loved ones, and ordinary Hutus turned on their neighbors and massacred them. Those who led these sadistic massacres were Hutu extremists. They managed to eliminate 800,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutu in Rwanda in less than 100 days, aided by nearly 200,000 Hutu civilians. The killers used machetes, clubs, guns and other brutal weapons to dispose of their victims, often in gathering places like schools and churches, as well as at government roadblocks. . There was serious planning for the genocide, and the regime of the last president before the genocide contributed to this. The Habyarimana regime was able to prepare the ground for the Rwandan genocide through pre-existing economic conditions, biased political promotions and ethnic killings, and international support. Pre-existing economic conditions were one of the most critical factors in the Habyarimana regime's ability to carry out genocide. Since colonial times, Tutsi and Hutu had different means of supporting themselves; The Hutus were farmers and the Tutsi were cattle breeders, which created an imbalance. This imbalance has also triggered a steady rise in tensions and violence between the two ethnic groups. In 1974, a Belgian anthropologist discovered that many Hutus were using a World Bank project to establish cattle ranches around Rwanda, to create Tutsi dependence on Hutus. During this period of the Habyarimana regime, the economy was booming and Habyarimana gained popularity among Rwandans because the Western powers knew about it and yet chose to ignore it. The economic conditions and shortages of land, food and jobs that have increased ethnic tensions could be seen by any reasonable person. Hutu extremists used the trained and propagandized Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi to rally Hutu civilians to kill any Tutsis they could find. The militias were authorized by President Habyarimana, who was instrumental in perpetrating the genocide, until his death, which was the spark for the hell that was the Rwandan genocide. The President also endorsed Radio Rwanda, Kangura and other Hutu Power promotions that encouraged the genocide of the Tutsi. The Habyarimana regime and the Akazu were able to carry out the genocide using this propaganda, the massacres of political opponents and Tutsi, pre-existing economic conditions and the support of other countries..