Rwanda+History+Summary

History Summary Jenay Lapeyrolerie African tribes inhabited Rwanda until the Germany colonized it in 1899. In 1916, Belgium took control of Rwanda. The Belgians changed the social structure of Rwanda, making the Tutsi tribe the superior race and the Hutu subordinates. In 1959, the Hutu started indiscriminately killing the Tutsi. After Belgium relinquished power, Rwanda gained independence. There was a form of peace within the tribes until the president of Rwanda was killed. At that point, a 100- day genocide started, where Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed. An estimated one million people were killed. Two million people fled to nearby countries. In the July of 1994, a new government was established and the genocide ended. In1997, Rwanda joined the Congolese war and was fighting for Kabila until he failed to expel Hutu militias in eastern Congo, after which they switched their support to the forces trying to overthrow Kabila. The war ended in 2002.