The Rwandan genocide can be linked to the country's colonial past. During Belgian rule, the policy of “divide and rule” was enforced, creating deep ethnic divisions, Dr. Emmanuel Mushimiyimana, Ph.D. in Political Science, tells Global South Pole.
The expert further explains that the conflict arose when the king of Rwanda, a Tutsi, resisted Belgian dominance, leading to tensions that contributed to the genocide.
“It was that period that, of course, Belgian colonialist agents and the Catholic Church, mostly missionaries, triggered the hate against the Tutsi generally from the king to the population, so other people also identified as a Tutsi tribe were targeted by the time; they were compelled to leave the country,” Mushimiyimana adds.
Commenting on how the country overcame the devastating effects of the genocide, Mushimiyimana explains that Rwanda can serve as a “role model” for other countries on how to overcome ethnic division.
“Rwanda can be a role model that unity can exist and coexistence can exist between different tribes. [...] We can advocate for regional anti-genocide ideology propaganda so that people can stop propagating their political and economic interests through the blood of people, especially by promoting genocidal ideology,” he stresses.
To find out what else our guest had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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