Course and interventions in Rwanda
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Flip to reveal answersWhen and how did the Rwandan genocide begin?
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Question
When and how did the Rwandan genocide begin?
Answer
It began on 7 April 1994, the day after President Habyarimana's plane was shot down on 6 April 1994.
Question
Roughly how many people were killed, and over how long?
Answer
About 800,000 people, mostly Tutsi and moderate Hutu, in around 100 days between April and July 1994.
Question
Define genocide.
Answer
The deliberate attempt to destroy a whole national, ethnic or religious group.
Question
What was the RPF?
Answer
The Rwandan Patriotic Front, a mainly-Tutsi rebel army that invaded from Uganda in October 1990 and, led by Paul Kagame, ended the genocide in July 1994.
Question
What were the Arusha Accords (1993)?
Answer
The 1993 peace deal between the government and the RPF to share power and end the civil war; Hutu extremists opposed it.
Question
What was UNAMIR?
Answer
The UN peacekeeping force sent to Rwanda in 1993 under General Roméo Dallaire; it was small, weakly armed and later cut in size.
Question
Who were the Interahamwe?
Answer
The Hutu extremist militia that carried out much of the killing during the genocide.
Question
How did the UN respond once the killing began?
Answer
It ignored Dallaire's early warning and, after ten Belgian peacekeepers were killed, cut UNAMIR to a few hundred troops instead of reinforcing it.
Question
What was Opération Turquoise?
Answer
A French-led, UN-approved 'safe zone' in south-west Rwanda in June 1994 that sheltered some civilians but also let some killers escape.
Question
Who finally ended the genocide?
Answer
The RPF, led by Paul Kagame, which captured Kigali and won the war in July 1994.
Question
Why is the international community often blamed for the scale of the genocide?
Answer
It had warning and peacekeepers on the ground, yet shrank UNAMIR, avoided the word 'genocide', and failed to intervene in time.
Question
What does the command term 'evaluate' require?
Answer
A judgement: weigh both sides and reach a clear, supported conclusion — not just a list.
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Full study notes for Course and interventions in Rwanda
Topic 5.1 hub
Rwanda (1990–1998)
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