The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town Town Cape of University Mass Murder and Motivation: The Rwandan Genocide ASMUND AAMAAS (amsasmOOl) A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Arts in Jewish Studies Faculty of the Humanities Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies University of Cape Town 2007 Supervisors: Professor Milton Shain and Professor Mohamed Adhikari University of Cape Town Declaration: This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. Acknowledgment The motivation for writing this thesis has its roots in a highly interesting course on Holocaust and mass murder convened and led by Professor Milton Shain at the University of Cape Town in 2003. The seminar was the main reason why I choose to write this thesis. I am truly grateful to my supervisor Professor Shain for letting me do this project and for valuable comments along the process of writing it. Thank you also to my co supervisor Professor Mohamed Adhikari for helpful comments on the thesis. I also would like to thank Janine Blumberg, at the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and Veronica Belling, at the Jewish Studies Library for their assistance. Town Thank you also to all the Rwandans I have learned to know, interviewed and discussed the genocide with in the process of writing this thesis. Without their opinions and knowledge, this thesis would not have been possible. Cape I also would like to thank family and friendsof for their inspiring and kind support throughout the difficult but rewarding process of writing this thesis. I am truly grateful. A special thanks to my parents and my brother Jon for always supporting and believing in me, Bill and Alpa for housing me in Cape Town, Robert Love for comments on language, Alexander for technical support, Lars Kare for joining me on my first trip to Rwanda, Chris for his help and friendship in Kigali, Universityand Sigrid for her encouragement when I needed it the most. This project would not have been possible without economic support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund and the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies and Research. 2 Abstract This project is about mass murderers and the motivation for becoming perpetrators of mass murder. The Rwandan genocide is chosen as a case study. The project strives to explain what seems inexplicable; why tens of thousands of Rwandan men and women turned into killers during the hundred days of genocide in 1994, most of them with no history of murderous behaviour. This project is a testimony to the human capacity for evil. The motivations behind the Rwandan perpetrators were probably not umque. Similar motivations were important to different mass murders. Other mass murders, most importantly the Holocaust, serve as a theoretical and empirical backdrop throughout this thesis. This adds a comparative dimension to the study. Town This thesis is divided into six chapters with the main focus upon three motivational factors behind the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide:Cape ~i~tory, ideology and ordinary human traits. The first chapter introduces us toof the topic of mass murder and discusses methodological issues in connection with the thesis. A qualitative analysis will be dominant in investigating the data; the data was gathered through interviews undertaken in Rwanda, South Africa and Norway, reports, documentaries, court verdicts and other secondary sources. In the second chapter, perpetrators behind one massacre, the killing of several thousand Tutsis at the Catholic Church in Nyarubuye, speak about their motivations for becoming perpetrators. The thirdUniversity chapter gives an introduction to the history of Rwanda and shows how distinction between Hutus and Tutsis became an ever more important part of Rwandan society from pre colonial times until the 1994 genocide. The fourth chapter builds an understanding of the importance of ideology for the perpetrators involved in the mass murder. The fifth chapter shows that general psychological traits were important for turning tens of thousands of Hutus into mass murderers. As we shall see in the conclusion, a history of distinction, Hutu Power ideology and ordinary psychological traits were all factors motivating the perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Contact details: Asmund Aamaas, 3690 Hjartdal, Norway. Email: [email protected] 3 Contents I. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 5 1.1 Mass Murder and the Rwandan Genocide ............................................................. 7 1.2 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 11 II. Genocide in Rwanda ........................................................................................ 15 III. The History of Rwanda .................................................................................... 26 3.1 Who are Hutus and Tutsis - Pre Colonial Rwandan History ............................... 28 3.2 Colonisation ......................................................................................................... 43 3.3 The Hutu Revolution ............................................................................................ 53 3.4 The Second Republic ...........................................................................................Town 57 3.5 Hutu Power, Tutsi Guerrilla and Peace Negotiations .......................................... 59 IV. Ideology ............................................................................................................ 67 4.1 Racial Dichotomies ..............................................................................................Cape 68 4.2 Cleaning the race - Cleansing itsof enemies ........................................................... 70 V. Human Nature ................................................................................................... 80 5.1 Personality and Situation ..................................................................................... 81 5.2 Collective and Individual Evil ............................................................................. 96 VI. Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 109 Glossary ..........................................................................................................University 120 Maps ................................................................................................................ 122 Timeline .......................................................................................................... 124 Sources ........................................................................................................... 126 4 Town Cape of University I Introduction 5 It was just an ordinary day in April; it was hot, humid and there was not much to do. 17-year­ old Chris was a little bored when Valentine and two of her friends came to visit unexpectedly in Nyamirambo, the Muslim quarter of Kigali, where Chris lived. Marcel, a taxi driver, gave the three girls a lift from Gitega to Nyamirambo for free. Business was slow, Marcel joined them for most of the evening. In Nyamirambo they all went to the Cafe Lyonfor a soda. Cafe Lyon was the most popular place to hang out for young people in Nyamirambo, the only real club in the area. However, Cafe Lyon was almost empty when they arrived around eight. It was simply too expensive for most Rwandans to go out often. An hour or so and a couple of sodas later they decided to leave for the best club in Kigali, Kigali Night. Chris never saw him there, but President Habyarimana 's son, Jean Pierre, was said to be the owner of Kigali Night and a Hutu extremist. Chris and his friends were all Tutsis, or at least their ID cards said so. Still they all went to Kigali Night with no fear. They had come to enjoy life. No matter Tutsi, Hutu or Twa, people were enjoying themselves in the best Townclub in the country. The club was also known to be a hot spot among the UN soldiers stationed in Kigali. Chris and his friends tried to avoid talking about politics.Cape This evening was no different. The situation in Rwanda was tense. It was commonof to hear shooting in the streets of Kigali, especially at night. Security forces were driving around town on their fast motorbikes shooting at opponents to the government. They'd better not get involved. Chris was not "really" Tutsi, he was rather of "mixed" origin. His father was Tutsi, his mother Hutu. Thus, Chris was given the same classification as his father. So said the rule. Chris' mother was Universitymarried for the second time. His mother's first husband was a Hutu, therefore, their children were given Hutu ID. On this first Wednesday in April 1994, this classification meant that Chris should die because of being born Tutsi; his half brothers and sisters were