As we know, imperialist action on the African continent was responsible for several situations of conflict between native populations. One of the most regrettable results of this type of intervention developed when the Belgians, at the beginning of the 20th century, settled in the region of Rwanda. There we have the presence of Tutsis and Hutus, two ethnic groups that have long occupied the same region.
From a cultural point of view, Tutsis and Hutus shared a series of similarities in that they spoke the same language and followed the same set of traditions. However, when the Belgians arrived in the region, they observed that these two ethnic groups differed due to some physical characteristics. Generally, Tutsis are taller, slender and have a lighter skin tone.
From the perspective of the Belgians, these characteristics were enough to believe that the Hutus – even though they were the majority of the population – would be morally and intellectually inferior to the Tutsis. In this way, the imperialists created a situation of hatred and socioeconomic exclusion among the inhabitants of Rwanda. The distinctive policy of the Belgians reached the point of registering who was Tutsi and Hutu on their identity cards.
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In the 1960s, following the post-World War II decolonization process, Rwandan territory was left by the Belgians. In almost half a century of domination, hatred between the two ethnic groups had turned that region into a bomb ready to explode. Surrounded by a series of problems, the Hutu majority began to attribute all the nation’s ills to the Tutsi population.
Pressured by revanchism, the Tutsis left the country and formed huge refugee camps in Uganda. Even cornered, the Tutsis and some moderate Hutus organized themselves politically with the intention of overthrowing President Juvenal Habyarimana’s government and returning to the country. Over time, this mobilization gave rise to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Paul Kagame.
In the 1990s, several incidents highlighted the clear unsustainability of the relationship between Tutsis and Hutus. In 1993, a peace agreement between the government and members of the RPF did not have the strength to resolve the conflict. The high point of this tension occurred on April 6, 1994, when an attack brought down the plane carrying President Habyarimana. Immediately, the action was attributed to Tutsis linked to the RPF.
In the city of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, members of the presidential guard organized the first persecutions against Tutsis and moderate Hutus who formed the political opposition group in the country. In a short time, several radio stations were used to call on other members of the Hutu population to kill the “natural perpetrators” of that attack.
The spread of hatred resulted in the formation of an unofficial militia called the Interahamwe, which means “those who attack together”. In just over three months, a terrible wave of violence took over the streets of Rwanda, causing the death of 800,000 Tutsis. The conflict against government troops ended up being won by members of the FPR, who tried to establish a conciliatory regime.
Despite these efforts, the killing and violence in Rwanda has caused an estimated two million citizens to flee to refugee camps set up in Congo. In this region, the problem between the Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups continued to develop in various conflict situations. The current government of Rwanda, led by Tutsis, promoted some invasions to the Congo in search of some radical leaders of the Hutu ethnic group.
In recent years, the arrest of the Tutsi guerrilla Laurent Nkunda and the successful experiences in the demobilization camps have eased the coexistence between Tutsis and Hutus. In addition, President Paul Kagame annulled the old records that differentiated the population by ethnicity. In some small towns, it is already possible to observe that the traumas of the 1994 genocide are being overcome.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History