Kallal1

JoeyKallal
Mrs.OConnor
GlobalStudies2
19November2015
TheRwandanGenocide

TheeventsoftheRwandaGenocidearesomethingthatwillstickwithmeforever.
Iremembereveryeventthathappenedlikeitwasyesterday,eventhoughIwishIcouldforgetit
all.Thereweresomanyunimaginableeventsthatoccurredinthiscountry,buttheworstthing
abouttheRwandaGenocidewasthatIwasn'ttheretohelp.
Iwasonlyeightyearsoldwhenthegenocidestarted,sittingsafeandcomfortablyinmy
richHutufamilyhome.Mygrandfatherwasstayingwithusatthattime,duetomy
grandmothersdeath.Onerainyafternoon,hebegantellingmestoriesaboutwhenhewas
youngandBelgiumhadbeganimperializingthiscountry.Hesaidthatlifewasveryhardforhim
asaHutulivinginBelgiuminthe1900s.Heexplainedthatthereweretwogroupsofpeoplein
RwandatheHutusandtheTutsis.Bothgroupsofpeopleraisedcattle.Overtime,theTutsi
hadmorecattleandbecamefavoredinmanyways,eventhoughthereweremoreHutupeople
inRwanda.GrandfathersaidthattheTutsishadbetterhomes,jobs,andlivingconditions,and
becauseofthistheHutuswerejealous.HewentontosaythatwhenGermanylosttheir
coloniesafterWWI,BelgiumtookoverRwandaandtheTutsiscontinuedtohaveallthe
leadershiproles.ButRwandawantedtobefree,mygrandfathertoldme.Becauseofthisthey
begantorebelagainsttheBelgiums,andbeforetheyknewit,theTutsisweredemotedtothe
lowerclasscitizensandtheHutuswerenowinchargeofthenewgovernment.Thispleasedmy

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grandfathersfamily,butdefinitelyupsettheTutsi.Mygrandfathersstoriesmademerealize
thatImperialismwasahorriblethingthatinitiatedanevenworseeventinhistory.
Yearsandyearslater,1994tobeexact,wehadfinallyelectedaHutupresidentinRwanda.
MyfamilyandalltheHutuswereexcitedaboutwhatthiscouldmeanforus.Butthenthe
shockingnewscamethatonlyashorttimeafterhiselection,ourpresidentwasshotdowninhis
plane.Theyarenotsureiftheywilleverknowwhowasresponsibleforthisawfulcrime.Now
thingsstartedtogetbadfortheTutsis.TheHutusblamedthemfortheattackonthepresident
andstartedtrainingmilitants,creatingdeathlists,andstockpilingweaponstoattacktheTutsis.
TheHutusbeginpreparingforthegenocide.
Itwasntlongafterthat,whenIwokeuponemorningtogunshotsinthedistance.Iabruptly
gotoutofbedandlookedoutsidetoseewhatwasgoingon.Icouldn'tseemuch,butIcould
hearthescreamsofmen,women,andchildren.Mymothercameintomyroom,grabbedme
andbroughtourfamilytogetherinthesafestroomofthehouse.Mydadhadleftthehouse
earlierthatmorningandIwastoldhewouldhopefullybebacksoon.Buthedidn'treturn.
Apparently,hehadbeenforcedtojointheHutumilitiaagainsthiswill,likemostpeoplein
Rwanda.ThemilitantsthattheHutuhadacquired,wereputthroughtrainingonhowtokillthe
Tutsis.Oneoftheworstwayswasgoinguptothemandhittingthemwitharifleorcuttingoff
theirheadwithmachetes.Theheadsofthemilitiagotweapons,suchasriflesandmachetes,
fromothercountries,thattheywereabletousetokilltheTutsis.Afterthemilitantsweretrained
andtheweaponsweregathered,theHutusstartedmakingdeathlistsofpeople.Mostofthe
deathlistconsistedofpeopleofhighintelligenceandpower.Tomakesurenobodyescaped
HutusputuproadblocksonalmosteveryroadandonlyletthroughHutuswithproper

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identification.NowthattheHutushadeverythingplannedandinplace,thegenocidestarted.
ThekillingsbeganinRwandascapital,thecityofKigali,andexpandedfromthere.
Onceagain,anotherrainydayinAprilstartedup,andgunfireranglikechurchbellsthrough
theair,Isatshiveringinmymothersarmsinfearofwhatwastocome.Iwantedtoseemy
fatheragainandwasworriedwhathappenedtohim.SomymotherandIkeptupwiththelocal
newsontheradio.Mostlyeverythingbroadcastedontheradiowashatemessaging.Many
peoplethatrantheradiostationswerebroadcastinghatemessagescallingTutsiscockroaches
andmanyotherhorriblenames.Outsideourhousewasevenworse,screaming,miseryand
killingwaseverywhere.Peoplewerebeingstoppedatroadblocksandwereaskedtoprovide
identificationtogetthrough.Iftheycouldnot,ortheircardsaidtheywereTutsi,theywere
takenoutoftheircarandkilled.Manyweretakingrefugeinchurches,hospitals,andschools,
tryingtohideandavoidbeingslaughtered.Unfortunately,theHutusfoundthemandturned
thesesafeplacesintomassmurders.Thesepeopleweremurderedusingmachetes,clubs,
grenades,orrifles.Therewerealsotruckshaulingoffloadsofdeadpeople,whichwasforme
personallythemostdisturbing.ManyTutsisdeadbodieswerelefttobeeatenbyanimalsor
throwninlakes.FamilieshomeswerebrokenintoandraidedinsearchforTutsisthatwere
hidingoutinthosehouses.Iffound,likeeveryothersituation,theywerekilled.InlateApril,
manyTutsisfledtoTanzania.After100long,bloody,deathfilleddays,thegenocidehadfinally
ended.
AsIwokeuponthedayafterthegenocideIwasgreetedbymyfatherssmile.Ialmost
didntbelievehewasthere,becausehehadbeengoneforoverthreemonths.Ihadsomany
questionstoaskhimaboutthegenocide,butIwasonlyabletomusteroutthequestion,
What
happenedtoyou?
HesaidthatafterhistraininghehadranawaytojointheRPForRwandan

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PatrioticFront,whowasonlygroupagainstthegenocidethatdecidedtodosomething.They
weretheonesthatwereabletostopthegenocideandendallthekilling.TheRPFwerea
trainedmilitarygroupofTutsisthatwereexiledyearsandyearsago.TheFrenchalsohelped
byestablishingasafezoneinpartofRwanda,andslowlytheRPFbegantotakeoverthe
country.InearlyJuly1994,manyHutupeoplebegangoingto,whatisnowtheRepublicof
Congo,toescape.TheHutus,aswellastheTutsis,escapedtotherefugeecampswhere
Americanssentsuppliestoaidthosevictimized.However,littledidtheAmericansknow,but
theywereaidingtheperpetratorsofthegenocide.Americanshadnotparticipatedinthe
genocidebecausetheyeitherdidnotthinkitwasagenocide,ortheyjustdidntwanttowaste
thesuppliesandmoneyonit.Manycountriesbelievedthatthisfeudbetweenthesetwogroups
waspartofacivilwar,thattheydidnotwanttobeapartof.Othercountriesknewthata
genocidewasgoingon,butdecidedthattheirmoney,resources,andtimewerenotwellspent
onRwanda.ByJuly1994,theRPFhadcontrolofthecountry,andthegenocidefinallyended.
Whatwasleftwasadestroyedcountry.Therewassomuchdeathanddestructioneverywhere
youlooked.Itwassaidthatover800,000peoplewerekilled.EventodayRwandansarestill
prosecutingpeoplewhoparticipatedinthisgenocide.Eventheperpetratorsarecoming
forward,guiltstrickenbywhattheyhavedone,facingtheirpunishment.Iwasntabletohelp
duringthegenocidebecauseIwasonlyaboy.ButnowIamabletoserveasajudgeinthe
trailsoftheperpetrators.ThisgivesmepridetoknowthatwhileIcouldnthelpbackthen,Ican
makeadifferenceinthehistoryandstorythatlivesonofmycountry.