SUNY EMPIRE STATE COLLEGE

Final Project
To Intervene or Not To Intervene

Aydan ARASAN
06.04.2017
Introduction

The genocide of Rwanda is a shameful massacre of our recent history in 1994. Tutsis and

Hutus have resulted in the killing of millions of people by two ethnic groups separated from

each other by colonialist policies and administrative strategic plans of foreign powers who

entered the country despite centuries of brotherhood. On April 6, 1994, the Tutsis were held

responsible and the massacre started as the plane of the President of Rwanda, a Hutu, was

dropped in the capital Kigali. The United Nations and the United States did not consider the

incident to be a genocide, sending aid to the region, and reducing troop numbers to 240.

About two months, many children were orphaned in the massacre, homes were burned, and a

terrifying massacre was made. This paper examines the process of the Rwandan genocide and

includes several assessments of why the UN and other forces have not provided assistance.

Rwandan Genocide

When it comes to ethnic diversity, we can not say another country that has more diversity than

Africa. Surrounded by the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi and Uganda in the midst of Africa,

Rwanda suffered a massacre of genocide in 1994. The conflict between Tutsi and Hutus, a

two-pronged ethnic group, killed millions of people.

Rwanda has a population close to 10 million. It is a small mountainous and plateau region.

Agricultural activity has improved because it has fertile land and is rich in water resources as

it receives too much rainfall during the year. Although it is a green country, its natural

resources are not rich. So oil, gold, etc. Not suitable for removal. For this reason, Rwanda has

not been the focus of colonialist countries and has been ignored. After years of colonialism,

Rwanda was given to the Germans, but after Germany, who thought it would be of no use, the

verdict passed on to Belgium.

Before the Rwandan colonies came, the economy was based on agriculture and there was no

tribal politics. Two major ethnic groups, Tutsi and Hutus, shared the same land for many

years until colonialism began. While Hutus were dealing with agriculture, the Tutsis engaged

in livestock and trade. The number of Hutus was more than the Tutsi, but the Tutsi played an

active role in the administration and economy. The untreated administration was not involved

by the Rwandan Germans given to the Germans at the Brussels Conference in 1890. But the

destiny of Rwanda given to Belgium after World War I has changed since that date. Belgium,

who is deeply involved in social and ethnic affairs, has followed various policies. First, the

two dominant groups started out by separating Tutsi and Hutu. Because the Tutsi appreciated

being a society that could spread their own cultures, Christianity was tricked among the

Tutsis. Their identity was explicitly stated on their identity cards, and discrimination was

officially introduced. The privileges of the Tutsis were recognized and they stood in the effort

of domination over the Hutus. Hutus are restricted to social space. Belgium brought a King of

Tutsi to the top, and strict rules were applied. And eventually the expected sparks of war

began. On April 6, 1994, a ridiculous genocide began as a result of the fall of the plane

carrying the president of Rwanda. (Http://olagansuphelilerr.blogspot.com/2015/04/ruanda-

soykrm-ve-hotel-rwanda-filmi.html)

The death of the president of Rwanda seemed like a sign. Immediately after the plane fell,

Hutular held the Tutsi responsible for the assassination, while Juvnal Habyarimana's special

guards were moderate politicians, including Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, who

began to kill them without regard to their being Hutu. The Hutu militia armed with rifles,

paddles and studs, cut off the roads with the barricades they had built, Kigali from the

beginning to the end, killing all the Tutsi they had caught, including women and children.

They tortured their victims before they killed them, cut off the victims' tendons to prevent

them from escaping torture, then continued to kill after a little rest. The Tutsis, who paid for
it, were able to buy a quick death by giving a bullet, and the poor had to endure a heavy and

painful death. Neither the churches nor the hospitals were stopping the attackers. The clergy

and the doctors were delivering people to their killers who refused to die. The moderate

Hutular who was trying to appease the killers was also killed immediately. (I

http://marksist.org/icerik/tarihte-bugun/4334/7-nisan-1994-ruandada-yasanan-soykirimi-bm-

sadece-seyret)

Nearly one million people were killed in 100 days, while the rest of the countries watched

quietly. They withdrew their citizens from the country, but they did not prevent genocide

despite all the calls made. The indigenous people were abandoned to their fate. It was

finalized on 15 April 1994 that the UN Security Council would not order UNAMIR forces to

stop acts of violence in Rwanda. Then the Commander of the Armed Forces, the senior public

officials known to be opposed to the massacres were changed, and the three municipalities

and some officials who tried to stop the massacres were also killed.

(Https://asimetriksavaslar.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/rwandada-soykirim/)

In the aftermath of the massacre, the US wanted to stay away from the region, because the

Somalian operation in 1993 showed its failure and the fact that the murdered soldiers could

not forget the suffering. America has provoked 10 United Nations troops killed, not

interfering with the genocide, and ensuring that the UN Peacekeeping troops withdraw from

the country. After this power is pulled, the fire of genocide grows even bigger. We can say

that this reason led to competition in a way. Large and developed countries always direct their

aid to strategic points. Surely one day you will not hesitate to share your power to benefit

from it. Rwanda was not one of them. It was a completely poor country and so it was left to

its own fate. In the report of Pehlivan and Akbaba it proved that ''There was also a lack of

political will, since Rwanda did not have any strategic importance to the powers which could

intervene. Rwanda was not on the U.S.priority list. Kofi Annan, at that time the under
Secretary-General said that: "the consequences of the retreat from Somalia and the reluctance

to again commit international resources and political capital soon became evident as the

international community agonized over how to respond to the tragedy that began to unfold in

Rwanda."[Dorn, Matloff) Defense Departments African affairs bureau suggested that

Rwanda should be added to the list of potential trouble spots, the bosses told that Look, if

something happens in Rwanda-Burundi, we dont care. Take it off the list. U.S. national

interest is not involved and we cant pull all these silly humanitarian issues on lists Just

make it go away.'' (RESOURCE) So, in the first weeks, "genocide" was not used to avoid

help. Civil war and internal confusion. Because if a word of genocide was used, a situation

would have to be intervened according to the contracts. It is obviously not beneficial to not

intervene here. I think this is the Belgian country which is the biggest criminal. The theory of

"Clash of Civilizations" written by Samuel Huntington: '' people's cultural and religious

identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world '' can be verified

in this genocide. The Belgian government divides the population into two parts and gradually

separates people, its supremacy over other nations, its differentiation and its definition of

separators is the main cause of the death of millions of people. This genocide could be

prevented from being taken under control. But nowadays, Belgium, France and the United

States, which are seen as the greatest responsibility of this genocide, have preferred to watch.

One of the key points of the genocide I think was broadcasts from the RTML radio, the

encrypted statements like 'death to the cockroaches' and 'cutting of tall trees' could certainly

be prevented, but they were not needed.

I think the great reason why this genocide is not blocked is that Rwandan is not involved in a

strategic plan. It does not have gold, diamonds, or oil like other African countries. USA 1993

did not care about africa, offering the pretext of the assassination of aid troops in Somalia.

However, I think that if there was a source that could receive the compensation, it would
absolutely prevent genocide. Also, the absence of UNAMIR's intervention authority is an

embarrassing historical scene for an organization that is struggling for world peace, "do not

interfere unless you are fired". '' There was an independent enquiry in 1999 as to why the

international community did not step in and prevent the genocide. It was concluded that other

countries did not have the resources or the political will.''

(http://globetrotterguru.com/international-intervention-rwandan-genocide/) I completely reject

this view. If the vehicles they sent to save their citizens could get there, they could have been

sent for help and support. Those innocent little children could have been in those vehicles.

However, the goal of the genocide is already the young generation and they were left to die

there. The genocide of Rwanda is a shameful and unrepentant massacre of humanity in our

recent history.

Conclusion

There are murders where the killer has not even touched his victim. Colonialism, a very

familiar phenomenon for the whole world, is such a murder technique. The oppressive and

oppressive unfair competition of colonialism is a great board game played on the world stage

for centuries. Some are in front of our eyes, others are played out of sight. The massacre that

lived in Rwanda and lost about one million lives in three months in a small country in Africa,

where humanity first stepped into the world in the first few decades, now witnessing

inhumane events, is a game of colonialism It was the last time. The Rwandan massacre is a

murder in which the murderer does not even touch the victim. One of the two ethnic groups

living fraternally in this country is the victim, the other is the murderer.

Rwanda massacre is evidence of how the alienation results. America has not helped Rwanda

because it has failed to help Africa before. Rwanda is an African country like Somalia, and

the people there are not as valuable as their compatriots because they are "African". Other
european countries have also come to the aid and taken only the "white people" to withdraw

from the region and to kill hundreds of millions of people. Rwanda is already suffering this

otherworldly event as the groups that have been otherized. The criminals took their citizens

from there and watched as if nothing had happened and even avoided using the word

'genocide'.

Strong countries have historically exploited poor countries, prevented them from being

restrained and developed. They are constantly competing to be the strongest, the best, the

most developed countries. Unfortunately, when you step out of these steps, one comes down

from the bottom and ignores it. Here in Rwanda is a country oppressed and used for the

interests of this competition. The people of Rwanda could handle their own brothers instead

of collaborating with external forces, it could save itself from being a stepping stone in this

race.
 References

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of_International_Community

Kardeler, S. (1970, January 01). Ruanda Soykrm ve Hotel Rwanda Filmi.

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http://olagansuphelilerr.blogspot.com.tr/2015/04/ruanda-soykrm-ve-hotel-rwanda-

filmi.html

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