Genocide is a calamitous aspect of politics and of life in itself. There are many reasons that a genocide can occur, but cultural differences can often be seen as the most likely factor in the development of a genocide. One of the most atrocious human rights transgressions in the modern era was that of genocide which occurred in Rwanda in 1994, in which approximately 800,000 to one million Tutsis were slaughtered by the rival Hutu tribe in Rwanda. Many experts have argued that the United Nations was largely responsible for the escalation of the genocide, in terms of the fact that they had the capacity to intervene and stifle the advancements of the Hutu tribe but did not act in time to do so. Through negligence and miscommunication, inaction provided a platform for the Hutus to perpetuate one of the largest genocides in recorded human history.
The genocide in Rwanda was largely perpetrated by established members of the political and social elite within the federal government in the country. Many of these people were involved with the military and exerted their influence and connections to commit the genocide, as a means to control the warring Tutsi minority. The Tutsis had a large, impoverished refugee population due to the effects of civil wars throughout the country and the largely Hutu government’s response was to eradicate all of the Tutsis in the country to ensure that they would not disrupt the established power.
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Economic differences can often be seen as directly attributed to the causes of genocide. Historically, as R. Morrock (2010) discusses, genocide and acts of violence are typically catalyzed by a destabilization of the “established presence of power.” 1 This can occur when countries face large economic hardship or whenever they are influenced by a large influx of other cultural groups, which destabilizes the economy of the country. When this occurs, typically it is the case that many of the common class people within a country are often those most directly affected and established political leaders will attempt to distance themselves from these effects by leading campaigns against minority groups or less represented members of the population of their respective countries.
As Z. Jolobe discusses, the civil war in the country truly stated when exiles from the country began a group known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Their goal was to establish a new bourgeoisie in Rwanda, and they operated from Uganda. This group was by and large members of the Tutsi tribe and they “used acts of terror and instituted violence to attempt to force the government to meet the demands that they had.” 2 One of the acts that catalyzed the genocide was the assassination of Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana in 1994. 3
What came next was a systematic eradication of any and all potential political opponents to ensure that there would be no interference. The Hutu extremists were able to thoroughly seize control of the government in Rwanda, using their influence to ensure that the common populace was terrified of the potential for eradication. Within a matter of hours, all moderate leaders were removed from power and the radicalized Hutu extremists were able to “actively engage the political spectrum without interference from the opposition.” 4
The United Nations attempted to intervene in this matter by initiation the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. While they had initially attempted to help foster diplomatic solutions between the two countries, the events of the civil war led to the assassination of the President of Rwanda in 1994. The massacres began being perpetrated by the government and by April of that same year, approximately 280,000 people had been displaced. 5 The United Nations tried to provide some level of assistance to these displaced individuals but the mobilization of forces was not sufficient to help curb the effects of the slaughter and the massive displacement of individuals within the country. On May 17, 1994, the Security Council of the United Nations attempted to impose an embargo on arms and weapons against Rwanda, subsequently sending 5,500 troops to the region to help re-stabilize conditions there. 6 Yet, it took more than six months for states within the United Nations to provide and mobilize the troops. As a result of this inability to mobilize the resources necessary to help stop the genocide, the government was able to perpetuate killing on a large scale, effectively killing millions in the process.
While it can be said that the United Nations’ efforts were well-founded in helping to stop the violence in Rwanda in 1994, there were many reasons that the organization was largely unable to act upon these forms of violence efficiently. They had not developed a system to help determine the potential for violence and conflict that was capable of ensuring that it would not spread, and by the time that the United Nations had intervened, it was far too late to stop the killing of the civilians. Furthermore, given the time that it took to mobilize support for the region and the overall lack of presence that they were able to establish, the government continued to act on its own accord with minimal interference. The United Nation attempted to help reestablish the people who were displaced by the conflict, but by and large, they did not have the resources or the capacity to relocate people in the region that were desperately trying to escape. The conflict is seen as one of the largest genocides in recorded history, and if there had been a more centralized, efficient approach to helping end the genocide earlier, many of the issues could have been preemptively resolved.
- Akhavan, Payam. “The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda: The Politics and Pragmatics of Punishment”. American Journal of International Law. 1996. p. 501–510.
- Jones, Adam. “Genocide and Mass Violence”. In Laura J. Shepherd. Gender Matters in Global Politics. Routledge. 2004. pp.127–147.
- Melvern, Linda. A people betrayed: the role of the West in Rwanda’s genocide. Zed Books. 2000. p. 11.
- Prunier, Gérard. The Rwanda Crisis, 1959–1994: History of a Genocide (1st ed.). 1999. London: C. Hurst & Co. Publishers.
- Fassbender, Bardo. Securing Human Rights?: Achievements and Challenges of the UN Security Council. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2011.
- Rittner, Carol. “Rape, Religion, and Genocide: An Unholy Silence”. Confronting Genocide: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Lexington Books. 2009. p. 35.
