The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

the expulsion of the Tutsi from Rwanda was demanded; be tween 1962
and 1994, Tutsis were excluded from all important areas of society –
until, in 1994, the genocide finally began. “A genealogy can be traced
from the ideas of difference (affirmed by western observers) to the action
of extermination (undertaken by the killers of 1994).” (Report, p.
165). The term genocide was used by the Hutu leaders starting in 1964
– that was when the idea became current. The preparation followed,
and was then carried out in 1994.
Thus was the hatred of the Tutsi continually stoked until, at the beginning
of the ‘90s, it broke out into violence. In 1991, the international
community took note of the worsening conflict. Tutsi rebels attempted
to force the return of refugees from Uganda; thereupon, mass arrests
of Tutsis took place inside Rwanda. Of the 7887 persons arrested, 4300
were released again under international pressure. France sent troops to
protect the French people living in Rwanda, and the French Foreign Legion
occupied the Kigali airport. In 1993, a UN peace-keeping mission
was sent to Rwanda, under Chapter 6 of the UN Charter. In 1994, the
Rwandan president was killed when his airplane was shot down under
circumstances which are not clear. This event sparked the genocide.
Between April and June 1994, according to official Rwandan statistics,
1,074,017 people were killed, primarily Tutsis, but also Hutus who oppose
the killing. The French and UN troops stood by helplessly. Many
people seeking protection in churches and schools were handed over
to the militias by Catholic priests and teachers. The UN then reinforced
its presence through a peace-enforcement mission under Chapter 7 of
the UN Charter; however, these troops were seen as more of a party to
the conflict than as a peace mission.
Thereafter, many people, especially the Hutu militias who have carried
out the genocide, fled to surrounding countries. Since 1998, Rwandan
militias have been fighting in the Second Congolese War in neighbouring
Congo. Many of the simple participants have however returned to
Rwanda. Since 2000, the situation in the country has settled down under
President Paul Kagame. Since 2002, a process of dealing with the
trauma through the Gacama courts has been taking place.
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