Zuleyn:

Can you imagine your family being slaughtered by your neighbor, co-worker, or friend? Even though this may sound out of the ordinary this was the issue in Rwanda, in which the Hutus were murdering the Tutsis. Furthermore, lets examine what led to these cold blooded murders. Most Rwandan population belongs to the Hutu, who were traditionally crop growers. For many centuries Rwandan attracted Tutsis, traditionally herdsmen. For 600 years the two groups shared the business of farming. Tutsis tended to be landowners and Hutus the people who worked the land. However, a wedge was driven between them when the European colonist moved in. It was the practice of colonial administrators to select a group to be privileged and educated. The Belgians chose the Tutsis because they were landowners, tall, and to European eyes they appeared aristocratic. Some Tutsis began to behave like peasants, creating an alien political division. Missionaries also came from Europe, bringing a new political twist: the church taught the Hutu to see themselves as oppressed, which inspired revolution. By 1956, their rebellion began. In 1959, the Hutu seized power and were stripping Tutsi communities of their lands. Many Tutsis retreated to exile in neighboring countries, where they formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and trained their soldiers awaiting attack. After the Hutu gained power and began to govern, tension grew between the countries. In addition, Tutsi resistance was continually growing by repressive measures, such as not being able to attend secondary schools or universities. In 1990 rebels attacked; a civil war began. On April 6, 1994 the plane carrying the first Hutu president was shot down. This was the icing on the cake and the Hutus accused the Tutsis of killing their president. Hutu civilians were told to attack and their duty was to wipe out the Tutsis. Thus genocide in Rwanda began.