Terror Aspects

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                                                   TERROR ASPECTS

                                               EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

        Terror has been on increasing rate and an example which I am going to discuss is the genocide attacks. Rwanda and Burundi are two neighboring countries from the continent of Africa and are arguably the most hit countries by Genocide attacks. They are just a representation of many countries in the world where genocide attacks are the order of the day.

        Genocide is the act where mass killings are carried out on part of a racial, ethnic, national group or religious group. Burundi is made of two major groups which are Hutu and Tutsi. The two communities have been carrying genocide attacks over the years as I will show below.

            Back in 1972, Burundi which is an overpopulated poverty filled country experienced massive bloodletting.  Their agonies did not come to an end nor did they begin. The number of the victims was however not known but it is estimated that the range was between 150 000 to 300000. Further analyses shows that among those killed the many that died were from Hutu origins. This was the 80% of the total population of the country by then. The perpetrators were manly from the Tutsi minority, accounting for 15% of the total population and their leaders being in control of the government and the armed forces.

            Statistics also show that not all perpetrators were from the Tutsi and not all the victims were Hutu. Both communities were mixed up each at a time and at different levels of involvement. The initiator of the mass killings Hutu led aim of getting the power from the ruling minority Tutsi and the support of the rebellion coming from the south province of Burundi. Many Tutsi lost their lives in a few days and violence went beyond the country and the war lasted for months.

        Burundi is neighbored by Rwanda which is to the north and during pre-colonial period they were hierarchically organized archaic Kingdom. But in Rwanda the system was destroyed and underwent few changes. The two countries are very similar and they are just separated by 100 kilometer boundaries and having same communities. The similarities may be the driver of the animosity of attacks that are very similar.

        The genocide of Burundi happened in 1972. The statistics show that Hutu were about 86% of the total population back in 1970’s and the Tutsi maintained a monopoly in the leadership and military positions. After Burundi gained independence on 1962, elections were held and the Hutus worn the majority but in controversy a Hutu prime minister was not appointed by king Mwambutsa 4 but one of his close Tutsi ally. The Hutu were annoyed and even attempted a coop which made the king to free the country. The coop was not successful and years later in a period approaching April of 1972 there were rumors of former king Ntare 5 returning to the kingdom (L.Nyankanzi, 1998).

        Complex elements were agitated by Byzantine intrigues and Ntare decided to go to Uganda. Idi Amin who was the president at that time offered him support and by using a helicopter at his disposal Ntare was taken back where he had ruled as a king together with his ancestors. Within a shorter time he was put under arrest and the media claimed that he was trying to start a machinery attack to take over the rule. The Minister supported the arrest and he was later assassinated.

        A rebellion led by Hutu members was later carried out in the lakeside regions of the Rumonge and Nyanza-Rac and every Tutsi in sight was killed. The president who was a Tutsi declared a martial law and the Hutsi were killed in numbers. Their initial targets was on the elite members of the Hutu community and their militants the army which was under the control of the Tutsi proceeded to the civilians. Many lost their lives and Burundi was declared to be a disaster area.

        The war continued and in 1990 the exiles from Rwanda who were mostly Tutsi and had served under the Ugandan’s armed forces went back to their country. What followed was 3 years of consistent terror where the Hutu had already taken the ruling regime. Organization of African Unity together with the United Nations organized a peace agreement in 1993 and both presidents from Rwanda and Burundi held peace talks in Tanzania. The Rwanda president’s helicopter was shot down when returning to Kigali which was the start of the genocide activities of Rwanda. In the month of June in 1993 the Hutu party won the elections and tensions started building severer where in and out of capital. The intensity reached its height in October 1993 when the country matured into a period of civil strife and president Ndadaye was killed. The Burundi army and some Tutsi community retaliated attacks on the Hutus leading to killing of innocent people.

        Many of the Hutu community fled as refugees into the neighboring countries of Rwanda and this increased cross-border tensions and violence (Remarchad, 1996). These events invoked the radicalized leaders of the Hutu from Rwanda and were under pressure of Rwanda Patriotic Front. The Hutus organized genocide in 1994 that mad a lot of Tutsi to free to Rwanda.

        Julius Nyerere was acted a major role in peace keeping of the country where he led major mediations activities and he was chosen by the leaders of the regional countries. This was under the organization called Great Lakes Regional Peace but not under United Nations or Organization of African Unity. This was a major step which could propel other National Organization to support the peace movement and promote harmony between the two communities. Julius Nyerere invited delegates from Burundi for talks in Arusha who were from parties representing the parties to the National assembly. He was unable to devise an appropriate strategy and the war could not support even during the mediation process.

        Nelson Mandera took over the mediation process and this give Burundi peace talking a worldwide recognition from the international appeal of the achievements of Nelson. He led a movement that produced a signed peace keeping agreements and UN secretary was also present during the signing of the agreement. The agreement was addressed to power sharing and focused on the issues of ethnicity in Burundi. Others such as Jacob Nzuma also led peace keeping agreements and there were many others that followed with the combined efforts of neighboring regions United Nations and major political heads such as United States. Peace has been restored and the country has held peaceful elections.