Research: Genocide in Rwanda

Explain that the class will learn about Canada’s peacekeeping mission to Rwanda. Underline that this is a very difficult but important chapter in Canada’s peacekeeping history.

A genocide happened in Rwanda in the early-1990s. Many hundreds of thousands of people were killed. The situation deeply affected many Canadian Armed Forces members who served there. Some of them, like General Roméo Dallaire, became important advocates for change. To understand why that change is so important, we must first understand what happened in Rwanda.

Have your class read the historical sheet The Canadian Armed Forces in Rwanda or explore one of the sources below. This will help them develop an understanding of what happened and the challenges Canadian Armed Forces members faced there.

Create a timeline

Ask your students what they learned in the article about what happened in Rwanda. You may want to highlight some of the key information below. On the board, create a timeline of events:

• Rwanda is a small nation in central Africa. Two major ethnic groups exist: the Hutu and the Tutsi, with a third smaller group called the Twa. The Tutsis dominated Rwanda’s economy and politics for centuries due to the rule of the King. 
• The Hutus, Tutsi and Twa lived together peacefully for many years in Rwanda. Almost all Rwandans spoke Kinyarwanda and there was much intermarriage, as well as the sharing of cultures and religion. Before the mid-20th century, disputes did not result in massacres or war.
• During the European colonial era, the Germans and then the Belgians amplified the divide between the Hutus and the Tutsi.
• In 1932, the Belgians formalized division between the ethnic groups, including the use of identity cards that showed ethnicity. Tutsis were favoured by the Belgians as they were fewer in number and the colonial government felt it made it easier to control the country.
• Following the death of the Tutsi King Rudahigwa in 1959, there was an uprising of Hutus who killed thousands of Tutsis and violence spread.
• Rwanda achieved independence from Belgium in 1961, but the unrest continued.
• In the early-1990s, tensions flared into violence and a civil war began.
• Beginning in 1993, United Nations (UN) countries, including Canada, took part in peacekeeping missions in Rwanda.
• Even with the UN mission in Rwanda, the bad situation turned into a nightmare in April 1994. The Hutus began to massacre hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and moderate Hutus. More than 800,000 people died in the genocide in Rwanda.
• More than 600 Canadian soldiers served with UN peace missions to Rwanda from 1993 to 1996. However, the UN troops were too few in number during the genocide. They did not have the UN mandate to try stop the killing.
• Canadian Armed Forces members were in the middle of a chaotic conflict zone. Some Veterans who served in Rwanda have suffered from a serious emotional disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Alternative resources

For deeper learning, split your class into groups. Ask each group to consider a different source of information, such as:

• Web feature: Canadian operations in Rwanda (Veterans Affairs Canada)
• Historical sheet: The Canadian Armed Forces in Rwanda (Veterans Affairs Canada)
• Video: What happened in Rwanda’s genocide? (British Broadcasting Corporation)
• Story with videos: What led to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda? (Canadian Museum of Human Rights)
• Article: Canadian Peacekeepers in Rwanda (Canadian Encyclopedia)
• Website: Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the United Nations (United Nations)

Tip

There are many excellent videos available online to support auditory and visual learners. You could also challenge student groups to identify their own sources.

Discuss what each group learned to create a timeline.

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