Rwanda: April 8th 1994

The killing began to spread outward from the capital Kigali. Militia set up roadblocks and slaughter men, women and children on the basis of their ethnicity. Egged on by the radio, ordinary Hutus take up machetes and join in the massacre. The RPF launched a major offensive to end the killings.

Led by Paul Kagame, the RPF was the Tutsi dominated "rebel" group that was resisting the Hutu encited killings. On 1 October 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Army(RPA), the armed wing of the RPF, deserted their posts in the Ugandan army and invaded northern Rwanda. After being turned back by Zairean and French troops backing the On 1 October 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Army(RPA), the armed wing of the RPF, deserted their posts in the Ugandan army and invaded northern Rwanda. After initial gains in threatening Kigali, the offensive was turned back by Zairean and French troops sent to reinforce the Habariyamana regime a stalement insued. Talks between the two sides resulted in the signing of the Arusha Accords in 1993 to create a power-sharing government. This agreement went up in flames when Habariyamana was assassinated. Under Kagamne the RPF began an insurgency against the Hutu dominated Rwandan leadership.

There have been accusations of war crimes against Kagame's forces, but the world has focused mainly on the "bad guys" in the war, the Hutus. There are always two sides to a story and it is my belief that the current regime in Rwanda (led by Kagame) is touchy about their role in the war simply because they were caught up in the vices of war. Will the world ever fully know what happened?