Genocide in Rwanda (Itsembabwoko ry'u Rwanda)
Chronicle of events
State radio and a private station known as Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines (Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines) fueled the atmosphere with calls for the killing of Tutsis and read out lists of potentially dangerous individuals; local mayors organized the work of identifying and killing them. Using administrative methods, ordinary citizens were also involved in organizing the campaign of mass killings - many Tutsis were killed by their own neighbors. The main weapon of murder was a cold steel weapon (machete). The most brutal scenes were played out in places of temporary concentration of refugees in schools and churches.
On the night of April 7, a 600-strong RPF detachment, stationed on the outskirts of Kigali in accordance with the agreements of August 1993, began fighting. On the same day, the main forces of the RPF begin fighting in the north of the country.
April 8-9 - Belgium and France begin operations to evacuate their citizens.
April 11 - The Red Cross reports that tens of thousands of Rwandans have already died. The killing of 2,000 Tutsis at the Don Bosco School (Kigali), after the evacuation of Belgian peacekeepers.
April 14 - Belgium completes the withdrawal of its troops from Rwanda.
April 15 - in the center of Saint Joseph, in the town of Nyarubuye, Kibungo province, 20,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus are attacked by soldiers of the Rwandan army and Interahamwe and thrown grenades.
April 18 - by order of the prefect of Kibuye, 15,000 Tutsis were gathered at the Gatwaro stadium in the city of Kibuye and killed by members of the Interahamwe. 2,000 people are killed by Interahamwe members in the Roman Catholic Church in Mabirize, Chiyangugu Prefecture.
April 18-20 4,300 people are killed in the St. John's shelter.
April 19 - The head of the "interim government of Rwanda" Theodore Sindikubwabo personally calls on the radio to kill "accomplices" in Butare, the last prefecture not yet engulfed in the wave of violence. That same night, the presidential guard arrives in Butare and begins executing Tutsis. Thousands of people die.
April 21 - The International Red Cross reports the possible execution of hundreds of thousands of civilians. On the same day, the UN Security Council unanimously votes to reduce UNAMIR to 270 people - one motorized rifle platoon from Ghana. Mass killings at the technical school in Murambi.
April 22 - massacre of 5,000 Tutsis at the Sovu monastery.
On April 25, 1994, at the initiative of Pauline Nyramasuguko, the Hutu paramilitary group "Interahamwe" led by Arsene Shalom Ntahobali surrounded the stadium, where thousands of Tutsis were. The refugees were raped, tortured, killed, and their bodies were burned.
May 3 - Presidential Directive No. 25 (PDD 25), which limits the participation of American armed forces in UN peacekeeping operations; there is a point of view that the United States did not intervene in the conflict, fearing a repeat of the events of October 3-5, 1993 in Somalia.
May 13 - UN Secretary-General B. Boutros-Ghali speaks of two million refugees and a humanitarian catastrophe in the region, as well as the need to recreate the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR).
May 17 - The UN Security Council, by Resolution 918, imposes an arms embargo on Rwanda and votes to restore the strength of UNAMIR to 5,500, but due to disagreements over funding, the mission, which was renamed UNAMIR II, was still not operational by early July.
On May 19, the UN requests 50 armored personnel carriers from the United States for UNAMIR II, but disagreements over the cost begin.
By May 31, the RPF controls half of the country and establishes itself on the outskirts of Kigali, including seizing the airport.
June 22 - The UN Security Council, recognizing the impasse over the organization of UNAMIR II, calls on its members to organize an international peacekeeping operation in Rwanda under national command; the beginning of Operation Turquoise by the French armed forces. The purpose of the latter was to create a demilitarized safe zone in the Goma-Jikongoro-Cyangugu triangle and to carry out humanitarian actions. The operation lasted until August 21, 1994.
July 4 - units of the Rwandan Patriotic Front entered the capital.
On July 5, they took Butare.
July 14 - Ruhengeri.
July 17 - Gisenyi, and by July 18, the RPF controlled most of the country. 2 million Hutus, fearing retribution for the genocide (there were 30 thousand people in the paramilitary units), and the majority - genocide by the Tutsi, left the country.
The organization of the genocide was carried out by representatives of the then Rwandan authorities. The genocide was initiated by the central military government, but local authorities soon began to play a significant role. Already on April 6, the mayor of Gisenyi organized a meeting at which weapons were distributed and the killings of Tutsis were encouraged. The main perpetrators of the killings were the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi groups, whose number at the beginning of the genocide was up to 30 thousand people, and who obeyed the army and local civilian authorities. However, ordinary residents were constantly involved, often killing their neighbors and employees. To attract ordinary residents, the burgomasters organized teams that informed the Hutus about the work they had to do. This could include participating in the killings and obtaining information about the whereabouts of Tutsis, or other assistance. Those who refused could themselves become victims of the killings.
With the beginning of the genocide, the army and armed groups began the massive construction of road posts to prevent refugees from escaping. At such posts, guards checked documents or otherwise determined whether people belonged to certain groups. There are known cases when guards, at the risk of their own lives, let potential victims of genocide through. Bribery was also widespread.
A significant part of the killings took place in churches, schools, and government buildings, where Tutsis and moderate Hutus tried to find salvation. Government media often encouraged Tutsi to stay in certain designated locations, which were subsequently attacked.
Sources:
- Landesman, Peter (September 15, 2002), A Woman's Work, The New York Times, cited June 24, 2011
- Harman, Danna (March 7, 2003), A Woman on Trial for Rwanda's Massacre, The Christian Science Monitor, cited 24 June 2011
- Landesman, Peter (15 September 2002). A Woman's Work. The New York Times Magazine.