See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Do No Good

In the spring of 1994, the tiny nation of Rwanda burst onto the World stage. Approximately 800,000 people were massacred. Rwanda’s genocide was not simply mutual hatred between two tribes erupting into irrational violence, but a planned public and political campaign of ethnic cleansing. The mass killings were not the result of a sudden outpouring of rage on the part of the Hutus following the murder of their president, but were planned long in advance and were the result of prolonged anti-Tutsi brainwashing. The International Community, which fifty years ago resolved to prevent genocide ever happening again, failed in Rwanda. In addition to the murders, up to two million people fled their homes and lived as refugees. The events in Rwanda were beyond belief. But why did Rwanda suddenly collapse into such internal strife? Did the International Community not see the situation developing? Could the former colonial powers not have intervened in advance? Moreover, once the situation became apparent, why was there no effective intervention? This paper will examine the history involved in creating a complex and ‘mythological’ society, the role of the colonial powers in manufacturing society’s stereotypes and the role of the West in Rwanda’s genocide. Conflict in Somalia and Sierra Leone will briefly be considered in order to contextualise the role of the United Nations.