Rwanda is marking the 10th anniversary of the 1994 genocide, one of the
worst atrocities of the late 20th century – alongside what happened in
the Balkans. A bit of background – it was triggered by the shooting
down of a plane with Rwanda’s Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana onboard on 6
April 1994. By amazing coincidence the wreckage landed in the garden of the
presidential residence. The crash served as a signal to Hutu extremists,
supporters of the government, to start the systematic extermination of
minority ethnic Tutsis and any Hutu opponents of the regime. The former UN
commander in Rwanda said Western states were “criminally
responsible” for the genocide. Canadian General Romeo Dallaire said
France, which led the small international peacekeeping force at the time of
the genocide, the UK and the US in particular did not care enough to stop the
killing. The killing continued for 100 days before a Tutsi-dominated rebel
army seized control.