THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE AND THE NEMESIS OF MANIPULATED ETHNICITY

Abstract

In 1994, an unprecedented orgy of internecine violence erupted in Rwanda amidst lingering tension between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. The unmitigated cycle of mass murder of innocent and defenseless Tutsis by the rampaging Hutu killer squads culminated in the savagery of the Rwandan catastrophe. The resultant massive scale of atrocities and palpable animosity invariably engendered genocide in its darkest hue. Within three months, about 800,000 lives of Tutsi men, women, children and some moderate Hutus were consumed in the mindless carnage. It is against this backdrop that this paper is primed to interrogate and properly situate the underlying ethnic mistrust between the Hutu and Tutsi which is rooted in the colonial heritage and legacy. The paper is based on the historical/interpretive research method and adopted the theory of relative deprivation as a framework of analysis. To forestall future occurrences, the paper recommends a sustainable policy of intra-ethnic integration and the deepening of National consciousness and patriotism in African countries. This would definitely reduce attachment to primordial cleavages, ethnocentrism and unhealthy rivalries for socio-economic and political domination among the diverse ethnic groups within African countries.