Revenge Hutu Genocide
Most people are aware of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which saw the Hutus massacre more than 80% of the Tutsi minority after president Juvénal Habyarimana was assassinated. The immediate ramifications of this disaster on neighboring areas, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are, however, far less talked about.
Hutu's refugees in Congo endured a retaliation genocide by the now-Tutsi-led Rwandan government throughout 1996 and 1997. Multiple murders were carried out in the eastern region of the country during the First Congo War by rebels supported by Rwanda, primarily against Hutu refugees who had fled Rwanda following its civil war and native Congolese Hutus. Tens of thousands of civilians were massacred in an ethnic cleansing effort that would have a long-lasting influence on the region's politics and social ties. Brutal execution techniques were used.
Location: Kivu, Zaire
Date: October 1996 to May 1997
Target: Hutu refugees and Interhamwe
Attack type: Genocidal massacre
Deaths: Tens of thousands up to 200,000-232,000
Perpetrators:
- Alliance des Forces
- Démocratiques pour la
- Libération du Congo-Zaïre
- Rwandan Patriotic Army
Motive: Anti-Hutu sentiment, revenge for the Rwandan genocide
