A Holocaust in Central Africa

Paper Summary:

This paper addresses the historical reasons for the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In addition, the genocide itself is discussed, as well as the implications for surrounding nations and the future.

From the Paper:

"It is perhaps the late twentieth century's worst, most misunderstood, and most ignored horror. In the short space of 100 days, the world looked on in absolute horror as nearly one million human beings in a small Central African republic were put to death and a country ripped asunder. While the world watched on, it surreally did very little to intervene in the murderous, genocidal chaos, even as the crisis spilled over the borders of the nation into neighboring countries. The Rwandan genocide of 1994 occurred with breathtaking and horrifying swiftness; out of an original population of 7.5 million between 800,000 and one million people were murdered and half of Rwanda's population fled to neighboring nations. The genocide and resultant refugee crisis that followed destabilized a vast swath of Central Africa, causing civil wars and other massacres in neighboring nations, namely the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, colonial influence cannot be ruled out as a cause of the genocide as many of the ethnic groups and borders were defined by former colonial powers. The historical influences and meddling of European colonial powers led to the ethnic tensions that fomented the 100-day genocide in 1994, and the resultant refugee crisis led to the destabilization and chaos of the Central African region."

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