The Rwandan Genocide
Explore the Rwandan genocide of 1994 — the mass killing of approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu in just 100 days, and the world's failure to intervene.
The Rwandan genocide of April–July 1994 was one of the most horrific episodes of the late 20th century: in approximately 100 days, Hutu extremists killed an estimated 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu — roughly 70% of Rwanda's Tutsi population. The genocide was carried out with machetes, clubs, and small arms, much of the killing done by ordinary citizens who had been their neighbors' friends and colleagues.
The roots of the genocide lay in colonial-era ethnic categorization. Belgian colonizers had hardened fluid social distinctions between Hutu and Tutsi into rigid ethnic identities, issuing identity cards and favoring Tutsi in colonial administration. After independence, power shifted to the Hutu majority, and periodic anti-Tutsi violence drove many into exile. The assassination of Hutu President Habyarimana on April 6, 1994, triggered the organized slaughter.
The international community's failure to intervene — despite clear warning signs and the presence of UN peacekeepers who were prevented from acting — became a defining shame of the post-Cold War era. The United States, scarred by the Somalia debacle, refused to use the word 'genocide' to avoid the obligation to act. The genocide's aftermath spurred the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, influenced the development of the 'Responsibility to Protect' doctrine, and transformed how the world thinks about humanitarian intervention.