Rwandan Genocide And Ethnic Conflict - 3296 Words

I. Introduction On April 6 1994, following the death of president Juvenal Habyarimana, the state of Rwanda was hurled into chaos as genocides took the lives of 800,000 people . Began by the Hutu political elite and its military support, their main targets were the Tutsi, and Hutu moderates. Many have claimed â€Å"ethnic hatred† as the reason of the Rwanda Genocide and while an ethnic split existed in Rwanda during the conflict, the causes for the genocide are numerous and complicated. In examining the Rwanda Genocide as an ethnic conflict it is crucial that ethnicity be inspected as it affected and was affected by economic, political and social elements. The problem for explaining the brutality in Rwanda as an ethnic conflict is that as the†¦show more content†¦II. Ethnicity in Conflict Although some ethnic identities were founded on â€Å"inherent biological, cultural, or racial traits† dividing lines have mostly changed. On the contrary, the characteristics of ethnic groups are enormously personal and have undertaken a â€Å"presumed identity† . As much as ethnicity is distinguished by a mutual identity inside a specific group, it is concurrently explained by its differences with other groups. While constituents of an ethnic group take part in an identity founded on a mutual characteristic or opinion, their ethnic attributes (such as language, race, religion) are normally not all the same, and if they are, these characteristics independently are not distinct to that group. The difference in the amalgamation of characteristics that shapes an â€Å"ethnic identity† signifies that a person normally shares mutuality with more than one ethnic group. Moreover, what are the fixed dividing lines that determine an ethnic group when its constituents ha ve mutual characteristics with one other, but as well with other groups? â€Å"The ethnic label subsumes a number of simultaneous characteristics which no doubt cluster statistically, but which are not absolutely interdependent and connected† . As the discussion on ethnic conflict proceeds to grow, it has possibly grown more and more onerous to establish a