The Rwanda Genocide

objectives:

Your task is to review the literature relevant to the Course case study: Genocide in Rwanda: Leadership, ethics and organisational ‘failure’ in a post-colonial context. The case focuses on the organizational factors that played a role in “failing” to prevent genocide in Rwanda. In particular, it focuses on the interplay between key leaders and geo-political relations. A literature review is an examination of the relevant writings in a particular field or topic, not just a summary of the chapters and articles you have read. You should examine and

illustrate the different frameworks of leadership (discussed in detail in Week 3 class) available to understand the relations between the leadership approaches and contexts which influenced the particular approaches. In the review, you should also express ideas, concepts, and arguments in a logical and coherent written form consistent with academic standards.

the Rwanda genocide

Rwnda has been a home to the bantu origin hutu and tiusstis who have been the local injhabitants of the country since 8000bc tpo date. The Rwanda genocide that happened in 1994 is a

historocval evnt that remains at the heart of Rwandese and the world at large, an event that saw the killings of over 800,000 people in 100 days and the subsequent fleeing of sesvveral thousand sto the neighbouring countries like Uganda,Zaire, Tanzania and burundi. Racialism mingled withja vetrage political interests saw the peaceful Rwanda being torn into racial; lines following the long disagreements between the locals hutus and Tutsis. The hutius who historically are of bantu origin while the tusis, a miniroity traces gebnetics from mixedup banti amd cushites copexisted for long until the arrival of catholic missionareies in Africa. Following the fall of germany the Rwanda colonu of germans was handed tio the belgiums and was umnder their rule trill self independence .  the arrival of missionaries saw the massive conversion of hutus and tustis to Christianity, however dercisions by the mnissionaries favored the hutus fior clergymen while the white administration favourd the hutus for the administrative work. Ideologies intended tpo bring racial differences between the hutus and Tutsis were perpetrated by colonial masters a viuce that brought hatred among the two races bringing hostility of the tustis towards the majority hutus. Moderate actions by the missionaries led to the efforts to equalize the involvement of Tutsis in the clergy as ameasure to neitralise tensions among the two races, all this took place after the world war two when germany had retreated from Rwanda and the region was under French rule.  The wake of world war two saw thwe rise of hutu movements  fuelled by interwar social reforms. The Tutsis actiomns to assassinate hutu subchief Dominique Mbonyumutwa, was fretaliated by pro-tusis movement, bringing massive killings to the Tutsis civilians and marked the beginning of Rwanda revolution. This led to the partial elimination of Tutsis with most  being refugees to neighbouring countries an event that brought Juvenal Habyarimana to power as the president.. The hutus were generally farmers while the tiktsis who were pasorolists and usually practiced hunting and gathering. The rise of colonial powers saw a new era of rule that was aimed to bring the whole nation of Rwanda umnder the german empire by diuvide and rule . with the ever growing tensions between the  hiutus anfd the Tutsis it saw widespread attacks between the two races, confliucts between the two races being aggravated by political warlords.

Political tensions in the regions that were a result of the majority hutus  undermining the minority  Tutsis led to p[olitical tensions and the widespread hate that saw the Tutsis feel less represented and this led to rhe forming of movememnts to ooppose the creation of hutu governmebt. Among the major contributions that can be attributed to the cause of the genocibde is the un beauracracies, the failure of the united nations to honour the agreements and the apparent time factor iun deploying the un troops. On august 4 1993, the government of the republic of Rwanda and the Rwanda patriotic army(rpa) signed a peace agreement an effort that was recognized and backed by the united nmatiutions at the end of the 1990 civil wars that tore the country apart into two distinct regions. Two vcanmadian milliotary officers, lieutenant gebera romeo dalllaire amnd his depuity major brent Beardsley were mandated to take charge of the situation by the united nations as ameasure to control the unpredictable situation oin Rwanda. Dalllaire was mandated with the responsibility to oversee the implementation of the peace agreement as well as the overall prevention of further boloodshed and the ultimate reconcilliatioin a,momnng the hutus and Tutsis. The country was imn the wake of civil wars amnd in the tinme the political setup was accused of hardline racial discrimainationb of the tiuustuis minority through infair represebnmtation and spreading of hate.  This led to the establishment of rebellion groups that saw the deadly attacks on hutus and the subsequent creatiomn ofb retaliatoiry groups in revebge. Omn august 1993 a united nations  18-member team destined to change the sitiation in Rwanda arrived to acess the situation at the ground, dellaire was devastated to see the extent of the instability and the pootrential threats that were deemed to occur henece he frecommnende for immediate action to heal the situation . his efforts to get full peacekeeping forces were met with shortcomoomngs from bearacracies and the inavailability of funds and the eventual withdrawal of forces by theor respective governments. Dalllaires assessment of gthe situation called for immediate avtiona at the ground while he emphasized on the humaniatarian sitiation on the ground that neede quick action. This period saw the killings of Belgian officers in the country in amove by the tustis to raetaliate on gthe  colonial backed governmemt, an action that stirred more hatred and retaliatioions bringing instabiulity in the country, dellaires letter to the unioted nations to request for more immediatye actions within weeks was meet with resiustance through beuracraciea and the lack of funds to fund the peace keeping mission. This saw dalllaires consideration for moderate solutions that were more risky and were less reliable to the vere escalating tensionms in the region. The united ststeds of America retreat from sommalia saw less interest otf the nation to involve itself actively in any of africas peace keeping misssiopnna as  int believed it ha dnothing to gain from the war.

   The conflict stirred by the hutu-led government and the Rwanda patriotic front a paoliitical liberation movement vby the tiutsis , who largely composed of refugees saw the mediation toa rrtive at power shjaring accords as a measure to regain the looming cilvil war. This led to the arusha accords that established powetr sharing a measure that saw the resistance from a section of hutus who felt betrayued by the actioins, including the members of the akaczu who saw the action as a step to concede to the demends oif an nenmy and a measure to reinstate the tutsi monarchy. There was poressurer by the hutus tpo resist this step at all cost in order to regain glory and political w governance by the tutsi in the region. On April 6, 1994, Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira were shot down on board and all died on the spot an event that saw the hutu retaliate since all the leaders were hutus as both were Rwanda hutu president and the Burundi hutu president respectively.. there was rise of Genocidal killings  that began on  the following day: soldiers, police and militia quickly executed key Tutsi and moderate Hutu leaders erected checkpoints and barricades and used Rwandans' national identity cards to systematically verify their ethnicity and kill Tutsi. The above actionms [pressured the hutus to equip themselves for war as they believed that the Tutsis had perpetrated the actions of assasinmating the hutus president and they were to revebge at all costs. The fina;l,solution to elimibnate the prrescence o f Tutsis dates in 1992 when the hutus retaliated amid tensions created by the tustis that with the eastablishment ofv extremist movements. Following the hutu presidents fatal plane crash blamed to be masterminde by Tutsis a committee chaired by major general augustin declared prime minjster agathe unfitnes foir the succession, however agathes effiort to was met with resiustance as he was refuted on claims of unpo;polarity among the Rwanda people. UNAMIR’s effort to send belgiulm troops to escort prime minister agathe to the press set an escort of ten Belgium soldiers who were later killed by rebels  amid cvlaims of involvement to support of prime minister agathe as the presidents successor. This saw the assassination of agathe and the family by the rebels just before the Belgian soldiers were killed too. On 8 april hostilities intensified leading to afresh start of civil war and the subsequent retaliation of UNAMIR. Killings took part in vast oparts of the country escalating to genocidal levels. The governments bid to retaliate airlifted hutu militia from Kigali to kill coitizens of hutu race in thie homes and sponsored radio incited messages that escalated the masssacering of civilians leadind to people killing among themselves  while those who refused to kill their enemies were killed themselves by the rebels. The militia used machetes and local weapons killing froim homes , schools , churches , social jointsand all the possible hideouts that could be identified.  On April 11, the Belgian soldiers withdrew, and Rwandan armed forces and militia killed all the Tutsi in Rwanda. The results were an a[pproximated 1071000 people killed 10% being hutus with an estimated 300000 only Tutsis surviving the genocide