Produced with the support of Aegis Trust, the book aims to show that the genocide was neither spontaneous nor accidental, but the result of decades of careful political and ideological planning. Ambassador Ngarambe argues that the ruling elites orchestrated the crime to maintain power at all costs, driven by a persistent fear of losing it.
The book, unveiled on Friday, December 12, at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, challenges narratives that attribute the origins of the genocide to the 1990 attack by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), arguing instead that genocidal intent existed long before. During the Habyarimana regime, led by the MRND state party, there was little genuine political opposition, while Tutsi refugees were systematically prevented from returning, having been perceived as a political threat.
According to the author, both PARMEHUTU and the MRND regimes were motivated by a fear of losing power, targeting Tutsi communities as the primary enemy. Policies from 1959 onward, he argues, were totalitarian, segregationist, and exclusionary, built on an ideology of institutionalised hate.
Education and propaganda as tools of hate
The book details how, from 1982, secondary schools introduced teachings explicitly promoting hatred against Tutsi, including pseudo-scientific theories related to 'facial features.' This propaganda normalised violence and massacres, which had occurred repeatedly long before 1994.
In July 1986, the MRND publicly declared that Tutsi refugees would never be allowed to return, prompting the formation of the RPF, a movement of refugees advocating for their right to return. Extremist Hutu leaders viewed the RPF's attack and the Arusha Accords as existential threats, with the accords seen as a red line.
From 1993, the Interahamwe militias, officially trained and supported by the regime, openly chanted 'Tubatsembatsembe' ('Let's exterminate them'), signalling the impending genocide.
The genocide unfolds
The assassination of President Habyarimana on April 6, 1994, triggered the execution of a long-planned extermination strategy. Within three months, more than one million people were killed. Ambassador Ngarambe emphasises that, without the decisive intervention of the RPF, Rwanda would have been emptied of Tutsi, leaving perpetrators free to operate with impunity.
The book also examines foreign support for the Habyarimana regime, notably from France, and the training of Interahamwe militias, highlighting the international dimensions of the crisis.
Lessons for leadership and youth
During the launch, participants, including senators, commended the book and recommended its inclusion in Rwandan educational programs. Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement Jean-Damascène Bizimana pledged closer collaboration with the ambassador and Aegis Trust to disseminate the book's lessons widely.
Ambassador Ngarambe stressed Rwanda's uniqueness in ending the genocide without international intervention, highlighting the importance of responsible leadership in preventing mass atrocities. Minister Bizimana urged Rwandan youth to engage with historical accounts, challenge denialist ideologies, and promote the preservation of truth, including within religious institutions.
Ambassador Ngarambe concluded that this publication is part of broader initiatives to leave a lasting legacy for future generations, emphasising memory, truth, and the prevention of future mass crimes.
IGIHE
