In the 100 days between 6 April and 16 July 1994, an estimated 800,000 to one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the Rwandan genocide.[9] As Human Rights Watch has stated, “the Rwandan genocide was exceptional in its brutality, its speed, and in the meticulous organization with which Hutu extremists set out to destroy the Tutsi minority.”[10] The perpetrators of the genocide intended the biological destruction of Rwanda’s ethnic Tutsi population as such, and also tried to exterminate moderate Hutus who opposed their agenda. The génocidaires, as they are known, carried out this plan in numerous ways, including through killings, mutilations, rape and other acts aimed at causing bodily and mental harm to their victims.[11]

Prior to the genocide, Rwanda had experienced decades of tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups. Other factors also contributed to the outbreak of genocide, including the rise of extremist factions within the government of then-President Juvenal Habyarimana and an ongoing conflict between the Rwandan military and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a political and military movement mainly composed of Tutsi refugees based in Uganda. Hutu extremists incited hatred towards the Tutsi and advocated for their destruction, including the rape of Tutsi women. According to Jacques Rwirangira, Vice President of the survivors’ association Page-Rwanda, this was done in an attempt “to completely dehumanize the women.”[12] A United Nations report estimated at least 250,000 cases of rape during the 100 days of genocide.[13] One study of over a thousand rape survivors found that approximately two-thirds had been infected with HIV.[14] Indeed, one witness told the Subcommittee that during the genocide HIV-positive men were systematically sent to rape women.[15]

The killings ended when the RPF captured the Rwandan capital of Kigali, declared a ceasefire and installed a multi-ethnic government with a Hutu, Pasteur Bizimungu, as president, and a Tutsi, Paul Kagame, as his deputy. Following the RPF victory, an estimated one to two million Rwandan Hutus – including civilians, officials of the previous Hutu government, regime soldiers and members of the genocidal Interhamwe militia – fled westward to what is now the DRC. The RPF has remained in power since the end of the genocide and Mr. Kagame has been the President of Rwanda since March 2000.

The genocide left Rwanda in ruins economically, institutionally and socially. Twenty years later, the long-term effects of the tragedy continue to be felt by a population left grieving, displaced, physically injured and psychologically traumatized. Many survivors were left widowed, orphaned or handicapped. Witnesses explained that it is common for survivors and their children to live in situations of poverty and vulnerability. Moreover, survivors often struggle to overcome their physical and psychological trauma, and some have turned to alcohol and substance abuse.[16]

Many Rwandans left the country in the years following the genocide; a number of them now live in Canada. Organized diaspora groups have emerged in several Canadian cities, notably Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton.[17]

While Rwanda began the recovery process almost immediately, this process has been lengthy, and the many after-effects of the genocide continue to be felt. That said, in the 20 years since the genocide, Rwanda has made impressive economic and social advancements, particularly in health care and education. Rwanda’s GDP has experienced an average annual growth rate of 7 to 8% since 2003, and inflation has been reduced to single digits.[18] Nevertheless, Rwanda remains a poor, rural country with nearly 45% of the population living in poverty.[19] In 2014, Rwanda was ranked 151^st out of 187 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index.[20]

Since 2000, the Government of Rwanda has based its socio-economic reforms on six pillars: good governance and a capable state; human resource development and a knowledge-based economy; a private-sector-led economy; infrastructure development; productive and market-oriented agriculture; and regional and international economic integration.[21] Gender equality and equity is an issue of priority for the government and significant progress has been made to increase the participation of women in public affairs. Today, women’s equality and participation in society is well entrenched, and women occupy more than 60% of the seats in the Parliament of Rwanda, one of two countries where the percentage of women in parliament matches or exceeds their percentage of the population.[22] Rwanda ranks 79^th out of 151 countries on the United Nations Gender Inequality Index.[23] One witness explained that – as a result of Rwanda’s stance on women’s rights and its public awareness campaigns – survivors of rape and sexual violence are now more likely to “feel justified in coming forward with their testimonies and looking for help to recover.”[24]

The Subcommittee recognizes the social, economic and political efforts and advancements that the Government of Rwanda and Rwandans have made in the 20 years since the genocide. The Subcommittee agrees with the assessment of several witnesses that post-genocide recovery efforts are ongoing. These efforts continue to require attention, resources and support from government and non-government actors in Rwanda, in the Rwandan diaspora, and from the broader international community.