The Rwandan Genocide Spoilers

After watching "Hotel Rwanda," a movie based on true events and a form of memorial for the Rwandan Genocide, my inner turmoil lingers. In 1994, Rwanda witnessed a shameful genocide, where the Hutus ruthlessly massacred nearly 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis in just three months, accounting for about one-eighth of the country's population. The film recounts the story of Paul, a hotel manager, and how he, with wisdom and courage, saved over 1,200 refugees during the massacre. The movie is an outstanding cinematic piece and a documentary that revisits the Genocide from a particular perspective, serving as a poignant reminder of human self-awareness.

For many of us, Rwanda is a distant country, mainly inhabited by two ethnic groups: the Hutus, comprising around 85% of the population, and the Tutsis, around 15%. Historically, they are very similar in culture, language, and customs, with the only differences being their ancient lifestyles—Tutsis being more inclined to a nomadic way of life, while Hutus mostly engaged in agriculture. Distinguishing between them is challenging for outsiders, akin to the question posed by the American photographer in the film: What is the difference between Hutus and Tutsis? The disparities are not inherent, just as conflicts are not innate. During the colonial era in the 19th and 20th centuries, Rwanda was a Belgian colony. To facilitate control, Belgium deliberately favored the Tutsis, who had a skin color closer to white, granting them political, economic, and cultural privileges to use them as intermediaries in Rwanda. The film subtly portrays this Belgian-Rwandan connection through details like Paul's hotel, owned by the Belgian airline, and Belgian soldiers in the peacekeeping force.

In the post-World War II era, in the 1960s, the Hutus began resisting Tutsi rule, expelling most Tutsi nobles and elites to neighboring countries like Uganda. After Rwanda gained independence, ethnic tensions between the two groups persisted. The film begins with extremist Hutu underground broadcasts promoting racial discrimination. Even the businessman supplying the hotel with goods has extreme ethnic biases, later becoming the leader of a militia in the Genocide. The conflict between the two ethnic groups was severe in 1994, not only due to historical grievances but also exacerbated by the interference of Western nations. Disregarding the situation, Western countries threatened to cut economic aid unless Rwanda adopted a multi-ethnic, multi-party system.

Consequently, the president was Hutu, while the prime minister and several ministers were Tutsi, leading to a chaotic and conflicted joint government. Tutsis who fled to Uganda in the '60s participated in the civil war, supporting the winning side. Abroad, Tutsis organized the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), later called the 'rebel forces' in the film.

In a climate of severe internal and external ethnic conflicts, with significant difficulties in government administration and national development, the Hutu president eventually understood the importance of ethnic reconciliation. Peace agreements were reached with the Tutsis through mediation by neighboring countries. The initial cheers for peace in the hotel reflect this. However, radical elements from both Hutus and Tutsis opposed the peace agreements. President Juvenal Habyarimana of the Hutus completed negotiations but was killed when his plane, along with Burundi's President Cyprien Ntaryamira, was shot down near Kigali. This event directly triggered the Genocide, and to this day, there is no consensus on who planned and initiated the attack. Without this incident, without the president's death, the subsequent massacre might not have erupted.

Within a day of the president's death, the Genocide began. It raises suspicion that the plane crash was an organized act by radical Hutu factions, indicating the deep-seated animosity between the two ethnic groups. From the top echelons of the government, Tutsi influence was rapidly eradicated. The film depicts Hutu militiamen throwing UN helmets, stained with the blood of Belgian soldiers killed after the president's plane crash, signifying the retaliatory killings of the Tutsi prime minister, ministers, and Belgian soldiers protecting them, forcing the Belgian peacekeeping force to withdraw. Civilian massacres became even more horrific, with Hutu militias using guns, machetes, and clubs to slaughter Tutsis. This massacre was evidently organized, as Paul's Tutsi brother-in-law mentioned that his Hutu friends informed them of the operation's signal: 'Cut down the tall trees.' The film also portrays the scenes of the massacre recorded by an American photographer on the streets and the continuous influx of refugees into the hotel.

Initially, Paul adopted a conciliatory approach to the conflict. When his neighbor, captured by Hutu militiamen on charges of being a 'spy,' was pleading for help, Paul explicitly stated that only family matters and was unsure of the neighbor's situation. Given his position interacting with Rwandan generals, UN officials, and foreign ambassadors, he initially judged the situation optimistically, comforting and advising his brother-in-law and sister-in-law to remain calm and not hastily flee Rwanda. The subsequent developments must have filled him with guilt and anguish. He then placed hope in Western countries and the UN intervening in Rwanda's situation to stop this brutal uprising, believing that with UN intervention, the situation could quickly be brought under control. This also represented the general awareness of the moderate factions and those concerned about the situation in Rwanda at that time. However, when the UN forces only evacuated Europeans from the hotel, abandoning refugees and locals, their hopes were ruthlessly shattered. Like the UN force commander in the film, filled with guilt and helplessness, told Paul, 'You should curse and despise us.'

Why did the UN adopt a cold and indifferent attitude toward Rwanda then? The international situation was very complex. The United States had just experienced the painful lesson of 'Black Hawk Down' in Somalia and was criticized internationally for pursuing diamonds there. Hence, they were unwilling to get involved in the Rwandan civil war. France had significant influence in Africa, as the Great Lakes region, including Rwanda, was traditionally a French colonial area. However, France supported the Hutus at that time, providing them with substantial material, weapons, and training. Even when the Genocide began, France adopted a completely indifferent attitude, not accepting the Tutsis who sought refuge in the French military camp and allowing them to be slaughtered outside the center. There were even rumors that French forces were involved in the Genocide.

After the Tutsis regained control of Rwanda's government, relations with France deteriorated sharply. When French courts arrested Rwandan high officials based on minimal evidence, Rwanda strongly reacted, prosecuting the former French president, prime minister, ministers, and high-ranking military officials, accusing them of directly or indirectly participating in the Rwandan Genocide. This was a concentrated outbreak of contradictions between France and its African subordinates, ultimately leading to a sharp decline in France's influence in Africa. As the American photographer said to Paul, when people see news of the massacre, they exclaim, 'Oh my God, how terrible,' and then continue with their dinners. This indifference is not just the negligence of other governments towards Rwanda but also the general public's disregard for events occurring in other countries. Our news media report on riots and tragedies in other countries, but how much do we truly care? After all, everyone has their own lives to lead.

In the film, Paul is witty and brave, a moderate Hutu who uses bribery and threats to protect the hotel as the last oasis. He mobilized everyone with overseas connections, constantly calling and writing letters to arouse the international community and other countries' attention to Rwanda. In the end, he managed to save around 1,200 refugees. While this might seem insignificant compared to the 1 million Tutsis who died, in the context of barbaric massacres, it is undoubtedly a shining light of human decency. However, in the grand scheme of things, the entire massacre was not prevented. When the Tutsi forces defeated the Hutu army and militia, the Genocide began to approach its end. The United Nations played no role of value in the Rwandan Genocide.

In 1998, during Clinton's visit to Rwanda, he expressed apologies at the airport to the victims of the Rwandan Genocide, providing compensatory aid. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan left regretful tears during the tenth-anniversary commemoration of the Rwandan Genocide as an African who was then the Deputy Secretary-General dealing with Rwanda affairs. Perhaps it was due to the humanitarian crisis and Genocide in Rwanda and the Southern Alliance that later prompted a more rapid and sensitive response from the United Nations to humanitarian crises. After all, humanity cannot endure such shameful tragedies.

When Paul questions the leader of the Hutu militia organization, asking, 'Haven't you considered that you cannot kill them all?' The Hutu militia leader retorts, 'Why not? We've already killed half.' When they reach the UN refugee camp, the Red Cross lady says, 'They say there is no space on the truck anymore.' Paul replies, 'I believe there will always be space.' The former represents the darkest side of human nature, while the latter signifies hope and the future.

Epilogue:

The boundaries between humanitarian measures and intervention in other countries' internal affairs must be clearer, and intelligence and judgments are challenging to make definitive decisions and assumptions. Too many national and group interests are mixed behind humanitarianism, making the development of things not entirely ideal and rational. Things are often very complicated, and international matters are even more complex.

Many of the remaining problems internationally are the roots left during the colonization era. Such as racial discrimination and conflict in Rwanda, territorial disputes between India and Pakistan, and the entanglement between Israel and Palestine. What we strive for now is to resolve these issues and achieve peace."