Rwandan genocide

In news- French President Emmanuel Macron recently acknowledged his country’s “overwhelming responsibility” in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

About the genocide-

The majority Hutus and minority Tutsis have had a troubled relationship in Rwanda.
German and Belgian colonialists ruled Rwanda through the Tutsi monarchy.
Tutsis were appointed as local administrative chiefs and the ethnic minority enjoyed relatively better educational and employment opportunities, which led to widespread resentment among the Hutus.
In 1959, Rwanda saw violent riots led by Hutus in which some 20,000 Tutsis were killed and many more were displaced.
In the 1960 elections, organised by the Belgians, Hutu parties gained control of nearly all local communes.
In 1961, Hutu leader Gregoire Kayibanda declared Rwanda an autonomous republic and in 1962 the country became independent.
Kayibanda became Rwanda’s first elected President, while the Tutsis who fled the country formed armed insurgencies.
Since then, Rwanda had been controlled by Hutus, until their genocidal regime was toppled by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1994.
The crisis escalated in the 1990s when the RPF, led by Paul Kagame, grew in strength and posed a serious challenge to the regime of President Habyarimana, who was backed by France and had defence ties with Israel.
In 1993, Habyarimana signed a peace agreement (Arusha Accords) with the RPF.
This led to resentment among Hutu militias, backed by the government, towards local Tutsi population, who were accused of collaborators of the RPF.
On April 6, 1994, a Falcon 50 jet carrying President Habyarimana and his Burundi counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down near Kigali International Airport.
The Hutu-led government blamed the RPF for the attack on the presidential jet.
The military and Hutu militias, with support from the government, launched a premeditated violent campaign on April 7, aimed at eliminating the entire Tutsi communities.
Bodies were dumped in the Nyabarongo River and France, backed the Hutu government and did nothing to stop the massacre.
In June, France deployed a much-delayed UN-backed military force in southwest Rwanda called Operation Turquoise which was able to save some people, but was accused of sheltering some of the genocide’s perpetrators.
Thousands were slaughtered in churches where they sought refuge.
The killings came to an end after the RPF, under Paul Kagame’s command captured Kigali and toppled the Hutu regime.
Over the course of 100 days, over 8 lakh people died, estimated to amount up to 20% of Rwanda’s population.