The genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 was the result of decades of state-sponsored discrimination, propaganda, and political extremism, not of spontaneous violence. Militia were trained, lists were prepared, and hate radio prepared the ground long before April.
Over roughly one hundred days, more than a million people were killed. Churches, schools, and hospitals — places of expected refuge — became sites of massacres. The international community withdrew rather than intervened.
Remembrance is a national duty in Rwanda. Kwibuka commemorations each April, memorial sites such as Gisozi and Murambi, and survivor testimony keep the record accurate and counter denial. Understanding this history is inseparable from understanding Rwanda today.