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Chapter 6 Early Warning of Atrocities in 1991-1994

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Chapter 6 Early Warning of Atrocities in 1991-1994 CHAPTER 6 EARLY WARNING OF ATROCITIES IN 1991-1994 6.1 HUTU EXTREMISM EMERGES Strengthened by the RPF invasion, opponents of Habyarimana's regime started to pressure the regime to allow new political parties into the system. Through this pressure and pressure from donor countries, it was in June 1991 that Habyarimana legalized the political parties. l Within just a few months, there were 15 parties competing with Habyarimana's Mouvement Revolutionaire National pour Ie Developpement (MRND). The most threatening party was the Mouvement Democratique Republicain (MDR). The MDR was the successor ofMDR-Parmehutu, the party ofRwanda's first President Kayibanda. Half of the MDR members originated from Kayibanda's traditional stronghold, Gitarama and Ruhengeri. Some MDR members were former members ofthe MRND, had personal fights with Habyarimana and wanted to oust the party.2 Other smaller parties that came into existence and would playa role in the immediate future were the so-called intellectuals' party, the Parti Social Democrate (PSD), with some popularity in the south, the Parti Liberal (PL), which enjoyed some support from business people, and consequently from the Tutsi group, and the Parti Democrate Chretien (PDC). The opposition wanted Habyarimana to accept a coalition in which they would share power, and in April 1992 Habyarimana had to accept such a coali­ tion. Except for the very small parties, all parties were represented. Habyarimana kept his position as President, and nine out of 19 Ministers stayed with the MRND, but the position ofPrime Minister went to the MDR.3 Linda Melvern, A People Betrayed. The Role ofthe West in Rwanda's Genocide, p. 36 (2000) (hereinafter Melvern, 2000); Linda Melvern, Conspiracy to Murder. The Rwandan Genocide, p. 23 (2004) (hereinafter Melvern, 2004); Gerard Prunier, The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide (1959-1994), pp. 121-126 (1995) (hereinafter Prunier). 2 Filip Reyntjens, L'Afrique des Grands Lacs, en crise: Rwanda, Burundi: 1988-1994, p. 106 (1994) (hereinafter Reyntjens); Melvern, 2004 p. 23; Prunier, p. 124. 3 Agathe Uwilingiyimana, member ofthe MDR, got the position as minister of primary and secondary education. She immediately abolished the quota system; access 61 62 The Failure to Prevent Genocide in Rwanda The share in power with opposition parties reinforced the Hutu extremism, which was shown in the creation ofthe radical Hutu racist party, the Coalition pour la Defense de la Republique (CDR). The party stated that "no party, no institution, no person had been able to defend the interests ofthe majority [the Hutu] publicly and consistently" and therefore they had to take their fate into their own hands.4 The CDR criticized the MRND and Habyarimana himselffor being too soft towards the RPF and the opposition parties. In the following car­ toon President Habyarimana is depicted in native garb dancing and announc­ ing an extract from one of his speeches to the MRND Congress: "I am the invincible one who vanquished the rebels and the traitors. WEEEEEEEEE." The Congress responds, "Bravo, Bravo." A common Rwandan radio listener listens to the broadcast ofHabyarimana and is skeptical, saying, "This man is really exceeding his limits. While the population is being decimated by mines, he is making a self-applauding speech."5 But despite the harsh criticism, the CDR and the MRND often collabo­ rated. According to Des Forges, some observers have concluded that this racist anti-Tutsi party-CDR-existed merely to announce the views that were held to higher education would be decided on merit alone. As a result, armed men beat her up in her home. Thousands ofstudents and mothers demonstrated in support ofher new policy. On April 7,1994, Rwandan army soldiers killed her. See Reyntjens, pp. 115-116. 4 Reyntjens, p. 127. See http://www.onemancult.com/rwanda; This cartoon was published in the newspaper Le Solei! on May 12, 1992..
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