Genocide in Rwanda
What factors cause it?
Ø While Tutsis tend to be landowners and Hutus are those who worked the land, there has been a division of labor that perpetuated a population balance when the Hutus naturally outnumbered Tutsis.
Ø With the European colonization, Tutsis were perceived as more aristocratic in appearance than the Hutu that created a political divide.
Ø The Belgian influence and western ideology was the engine that fuels Rwandans in what was initially perceived as ancient ethnic hatreds that eventually led to tragedy.
How it Occurs, What Sparks the wars or conflicts?
Ø With the arrival of Missionaries from Europe, the Hutu has been awakened seeing themselves as oppressed and inspired to start a revolution.
Ø Although lost in the first revolution, Tutsi resistance took advantage of the weak and politically inexperienced Hutu government that ignited a civil war.
Ø When Tutsis were accused of killing the Rwanda’s president in 1994, it triggered the Hutu’s ‘Final Solution’ to wipe out the Tutsi’s.
How it is being Dealt with in the Past?
Ø The United Nation Force (UNAMIR) can only watch and give warnings to the Hutu Power action, and instead was urged to pull out with the resisting admission that the mass murder was in fact genocide.
Ø As perceived in the West, what happened in Rwanda were tribal violence, ancient ethnic hatreds, breakdown of existing ceasefire, or a failed State resisting to admit genocide.
Ø UN failures during the genocide were commissioned by the present UN Secretary general Kofi Annan condemning the UN leadership for ignoring the evidence that a slaughter was planned, failing to act when the killing began, and for pulling out UN staff and abandoning the victims.
Ø Despite intelligence provided before the killing began, and international news media coverage reflecting the true scale of violence as the genocide unfolded, virtually all first-world countries declined to intervene.
Ø For the fact that the government of Rwanda tried and convict those war criminals, there had been no death sentences given taking into account the tools of genocide and the intensity of the crime committed.
Identifying Potential Trouble Spots
Ø The implementation of death penalty to the genocide criminals, created tensions between Rwanda and the United Nation.
Ø Although Rwanda has put an end to their civil war, there are still potential outbreak of another one with the fact that it has not been thoroughly resolved.
How to avoid it happening in the Future?
Ø United Nations had set up International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for the genocide trials that had lessen the threat of potential war break out.
Ø A direct trial and the implementation of death penalty on the criminals that have been found guilty of the “crime of crimes” is a vital deterrent of would-be perpetrators.
0 comments:
Post a Comment