Why did the Rwanda genocide start?
The genocide was perpetrated by two Hutu militias, the Interahamwe and the Impuzamugambi on one side, and the Tutsi rebel group, the RPF, on the other side. The Rwandan Civil War, fought between the Hutu regime with support from Francophone nations of Africa, as well as France itself, and rebel Tutsi exiles with support from Uganda, after their invasion in 1990, was its catalyst. Rwandan Prime Minister Jean Kambanda revealed, in his testimony before the International Criminal Tribunal, that the genocide was openly discussed in cabinet meetings and that “one cabinet minister said she was personally in favor of getting rid of all Tutsi; without the Tutsi, she told ministers, all of Rwanda’s problems would be over.” On the local level, the Genocide’s planners included Burgomasters, or mayors, and members of the police. According to recent commentators the news media played a crucial role in the genocide: local print and radio media fueled the killings, while the international media either
