-
Belgians occupy Rwanda
After WWII Belgium accepted the responsibility to govern Rwanda. Ruanda-Urundi had previously been a German territory but due to the League of Nations Mandate the german territories were divided betwen the Axis Powers. The Belgians favored the Tutsi and allowed them to continue their rule of the Hutu. -
Hutu Manifesto
The Hutu become tired of the tyranny of the Tutsi and issue a manifesto demanding that they have a voice in government. The result of this was the formation of several Hutu political parties and Hutu's gaining power in the government. Some believe it to be the political pretext to the Rwandan Genocide. -
Hutu Take Over
150,000 Tutsi and the current King of Rwanda (also a Tutsi) are exiled and flee to nearby countries. The Tutsi that remain in Rwanda are not allowed any part in the government. The Hutu then proceded to kill 20,000-100,000 Tutsi before Belgian commandos where able to stop the slaughter. -
Rwanda declared a Republic
Between 1961 and 1962 Tutsi soldiers had been launching attacks on Rwanda from the neighboring countries that they had recently fled to. During this tiem The UN also granted Rwanda its indepence. -
Habyarimana Elected President
General Habyarimana overthrew the Kayibanda (the Hutu extremists that were then in power) and immediately began to reform the government. He did away with the constituition and dissolved the national assembly. He won the favor of the Tutsi by abolishing the quota system but this only caused further problems between the two groups so he was forced to reinstate the old laws favoring the Hutu. -
Beginning of the Genocide
On this date the plane carrying Habyarimana (the president of Rwanda) and the president of Burundi was shot down by Hutu extremists who beleived the two leaders were to soft towards the Tutsi. This sparked the beginning of the Rwandan Genocide. -
The Genocide
Hutu militants began checking identification cards and killing all Tutsi, men, women and children.They also killed anyone who objected to the slaughter of the Tutsi. It is estimated that anywhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed. -
Genocide Ends
Between July and August Paul Kagame led a mainly Tutsi militia known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front. After only a few weeks they had taken over the country and halted the massacres but approximately two million Hutu refugees fled to nearby countries in feat of Tutsi retaliation.
