Three decades ago today, Rwanda was about to experience one of the bloodiest massacres in history that would result in a months-long genocide led by the majority Hutu ethnic group, and the deaths of at least 800,000 minority Tutsis and Twa.
Tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes had been simmering for years, made worse by colonial legacies, political manipulation and radio broadcasts spreading vicious propaganda.
On the 6th of April 1994, Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana died in a plane crash. His death sparked a campaign of terror led by the Hutus who accused the Tutsis of his assassination.
A day later, Hutu militias went door-to-door, hunting down and brutally murdering anyone of Tutsi decent. Over the next 100 days, the Hutus massacred around 800,000 Tutsis and people of a third ethnic group, the Twa. Women were subjected to acts of sexual violence, men were hacked to death with machetes, and children were not spared.
As the killings went on unabated, cries for help to the international community went largely ignored.
In July, military leader of the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) Paul Kagame led a force of between 10,000 and 14,000 troops against the Hutus perpetuating the genocide.
On July 4, The RPF seized control of the capital, Kigali. Many Hutus fled the country to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The RPF established a new government led by President Pastuer Bizimungu. Paul Kagame served as the Vice President and Minister of Defence. The new government then began the process of reconstruction and reconciliation.
Rwandan courts imprisoned around 120,000 people for perpetuating the genocide. These prisoners were given pink uniforms to differentiate them from the others who wear orange.
In the years following the massacre that claimed the lives of roughly 10% of the population, the government and the people of Rwanda have worked hard to rebuild their broken country.
In 1994, the GDP was recorded at -55.25%. 30 years on, the country, despite a dip during the Covid Pandemic, enjoys a resilient and adaptable economy. Rwanda’s GDP grew at 7.6% in the first three quarters of 2023.
The rolling green hills of Rwanda still show some evidence of the atrocities of 1994, and the locals are rarely drawn into conversations about the genocide. The Kigali Memorial at Gisozi, built in 2004, is home to an exhibition detailing the horrors of one of the darkest periods in history. More than 250,000 victims are buried there.
Today, mass burial sites of those killed during the 1994 genocide are still being uncovered. In October last year, human remains were discovered at a house under construction in rural southern Rwanda. The search for mass graves in the area continue.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in a campaign over 100 days, which started on April 7 1994.
Three decades later, the day is being marked by Kwibuka 30 under the theme “Remember-Unite-Renew”. President Paul Kagame has delivered a speech at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, lit a flame of remembrance, and together with local and foreign dignitaries including BRICS member South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, laid wreaths on the graves of the victims.
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