The Rwandan Genocide and the World's Failure to Act

             Throughout history groups of people have tried to eliminate other groups for various reasons, but these attempts have been marked by the human race's refusal to allow such systematic extermination to occur. Unfortunately, in 1994, the global community collectively turned a blind eye toward the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. The Rwandan Genocide revealed the governments of the world's ignorance and apathy, as well as their continuing selfishness and refusal to take the blame.
             The killings were an attempt by a radical splinter, the Hutu Power, of the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, to eliminate a small minority, the Tutsis. The beginning of the genocide is usually traced to April 6, 1994, when a plane crashed with Rwanda's president, Juvenal Habyarimana on board. However, the roots of the genocide were established much earlier; the Hutu Power militia was being armed and trained for months before. Their intention was known to all; the Hutus had announced, over the radio and through various other channels, that they were going to exterminate the Tutsis. Within hours of the crash, barricades had been set up around the capital. Anyone passing through was required to show identification papers, and all Tutsis were killed on the spot. Soon killings were occurring all over the country and the Tutsis were not the only victims, lists of moderate Hutus had been drawn up, and the people on that list were killed as well. Other Hutus who would not participate in the killing were slaughtered, in this way many people who would not normally facilitate such atrocities were pressured to participate themselves. The Hutus were very well organized. They established a comprehensive protocol, outlining a system for the most effective way to slaughter their former comrades. The efficiency of this system was horrendous; using only knives and spiked sticks the Hutus surpassed the death camps employed by the Nazis during the Holocaus...

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The Rwandan Genocide and the World's Failure to Act. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 05:52, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/76466.html