How was the Rwandan genocide carried out?

1) How long did the Rwandan genocide last?
- one hundred days.

2) Approximately how many people were killed during this time?
- Nearly one million people were killed in this time.

3) What were the Interhamwe? What did this word mean?
- Civilian death squads called Interhamwe, or “those who fight together” had trained prior to the start of the genocide and were responsible for the largest massacres

4) What made the general Hutu civilians (the non-trained group) believe they had to kill Tutsis?
- Told that the Tutsis would destroy Rwanda and kill all of the Hutus, the Hutus were made to believe that they had to kill the Tutsis first

5) What happened to Hutus who refused to kill or protected Tutsis?
- Hutus who refused to kill or attempted to hide Tutsis were killed as well. The largest massacres occurred in areas where Tutsis had gathered together for protection, such as churches, schools, and abandoned UN posts.

6) What role did radio play in the genocide?
-Radio played an integral role in the genocide. A nation crazed with fear and desperation heard repeated broadcasts labeling the Tutsi as “cockroaches” and “devils.”

7) What role did the US play in this genocide? How do you think they should have responded?
-The United States, the only country in the world with the technical ability to jam this hate radio, refused, stating that it was too expensive and would be against people’s right to free speech