A really disturbing fact was that Nizeyimana was part of the Rwanda Armed Forces, and exercised his power over troops to execute Tutsis and some Hutus.
"In the attacks that started in April 1994, Hutu militias and members of the general population sought out Tutsis and moderate Hutus, and went on a 100-day killing rampage. Civilians and children got incentives to take part in the atrocities, including promises of land belonging to their Tutsi neighbors."
This reminds me of those who shot Jews in death camps that later claimed they were simply serving their country, or that they would be killed if they didn't obey.
It is clear that not only were those involved in the rampages committing genocide, but civilians would see this happening and join in. I would guess that they did this to survive, rather than to simply be able to kill. Those dead number around 1 million, that is about 10% of the population of central Africa. It is wonderful that those who led the rampages are being specifically sought out, and two have already been arrested, but will the killings really stop because of it?
I imagine that millions of citizens are now corrupted and have completely different mindsets on how they must go about surviving.
No comments:
Post a Comment