The Rwandan genocide in 1994, was a mass killing of thousands of and civilians. During this , it was mainly carried out by extremist Hutu militia groups whose intention was to exterminate the Tutsi race within Rwanda. Being one of the smallest countries in Central Africa, it is comprised of two main ethnic groups; Hutu and Tutsi. Although 90 percent of the population is considered Hutu, the Tutsi minority was given the upper class status, in which they had then dominated Hutu peasants for decades.
Dispute began to occur amongst the two classified groups in Rwanda, Hutu and Tutsi in 1962, followed by their independence from Belgium. During this time, the Belgians had granted the Tutsis with wealth and noble status, which thus left the Hutus as an inferior race. As a result, a lot of problems started to rise in terms of distributing power equally between the two groups. However, in the late 1962 when Rwanda gained independence from Belgium, the Hutus began to dominate due to their overwhelming population. Therefore, the majority seized power and reversed the roles, thus oppressing the Tutsis through systematic discrimination and acts of violence.
