The major crime problem in Rwanda since 1994 has been mass murder, officially know as genocide, which has been prevalent in this country in the mist of years of civil war. Genocide is defined as the methodically planned eradication of a racial, political, or cultural group. The United Nations (1998) has declared in the Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of the Crime of Genocide of 1946, that "genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group..." (p. 1). Genocide represents a horror so special that the term has previously been used to described only two events in the twentieth century: the massacre of Armenians by Turks in 1915, and the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews. The United Nations (1998) stated that

There have been several arrests and convictions related to the "genocide" in Rwanda. The trials are held in Rwandan courts, which may or may not follow United Nations regulations regarding genocide. Reports from a February 29, 2000 newspaper article in Kigali Rwanda:

There are several proposed solutions for the problems of the ethnic conflict in Rwanda. First, Rwandan and international authorities should deal more openly with ethnic issues. Secondly, Rwanda and the international community should accept a degree of voluntary social and/or ethnic segregation in some areas of Rwanda. Another solution would be for the United Nations and their allies to show a stronger presence in Rwanda to help settle disputes until Rwanda is able to establish a system that works for that country. An additional solution to Rwanda's problems is to establish a more organized and monitored employment structure. A further resolution to Rwanda's tribulations would be to set up a type of reeducation camp, held by the U.N. to help teach Rwandans about their humanitarian rights. The best solution would be, for the United Nations and its members, to relieve Rwanda of its debts and send as much relief support as possible to enable Rwanda to get on its feet and start over. This might not be feasible in application, but in theory it is what Rwanda needs, as well as better ethnic relations.

There have been some speculations as to whether the people being charged are the ones truly responsible for the injustices. "Hutu extremists... have long been thought responsible for killing Habyarimana... in a bid to sabotage his efforts to implement a power-sharing deal with the Tutsis..." (Cohen, 2000, p.1). Are the Rwandans trying the right people for the crime committed?

The notion that genocide was committed in Rwanda ultimately rests upon the argument that the 1994 massacres were pre-planned military operations. The kills were more accurately a retaliatory response to the killing of the president than premeditated genocidal killings. There is no proof of the deliberate plan to "wipe-out" the Tutsis or the Hutus. True enough there were unnecessary mass killings of different ethnic groups, and genocide was a part of the bloody civil war, but there are no findings that point to an all out genocidal killing of either ethnic group. Americans killed each other during our Civil War, but we do not look at it as "The 'Genocide' between the North and South." It was just a war, as is this injustice.

Rwanda is a landlocked, mountainous country in east central Africa.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1723
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)