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A cemetery in Nyanza-Rebero, Rwanda, where genocide victims are buried. See more photographs |
RWANDA |
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In April 1994, extremist leaders of Rwanda's Hutu majority launched a campaign of extermination against the country's Tutsi minority. In 100 days, as many as 800,000 people were murdered and hundreds of thousands of women were raped. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Committee on Conscience continues to highlight the Rwandan genocide because of the: profound nature and scope of the violence; continued impact of the genocide on the entire Central African region; lessons Rwanda offers for responding to contemporary genocide. The genocide ended in July 1994, when the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a Tutsi-led rebel force, pushed the extremists and their genocidal interim government out of the country. The consequences of the genocide continue to be felt. It left Rwanda devastated, hundreds of thousands of survivors traumatized, the country's infrastructure in ruins, and over 100,000 accused perpetrators imprisoned. Justice and accountability, unity and reconciliation remain elusive. |
The entire central African region remains destabilized as a result of the genocide. Beginning in 1996, neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo turned into the battleground for continuing armed conflict between Rwanda's post-genocidal government and genocidaires who fled there following the genocide. UPDATE, 2007 |
The post-genocide government, which has pursued a policy of “unity and reconciliation,” has made considerable advances. Among these is Gacaca, a form of local justice inspired by tradition, established to handle the hundreds of thousands of those accused of crimes during the genocide. The government has also empowered women through legal reforms and by promoting participation in government, increased economic growth and stability, and adopted a new constitution. But power remains concentrated in the hands of former leaders of the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and freedom of speech is restricted. The first post-genocide elections occurred in August 2003, resulting in a seven-year presidential term for former RPF general Paul Kagame. The government has been accused of human rights abuses against potential political rivals and of misusing the fight against ‘divisionism’ (rhetoric or action that promotes social separation along ethnic lines) for political reasons. |
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA Explore the related links on this page to learn more about the current situation in Rwanda. |
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