Understand the event

The forces involved

Detail of the militiamen’s loincloth Interahamwe, militia of President Habyarimana’s party. This loincloth is the emblem of the "Hutu Power" gathering extremist militants against the "hereditary enemy" Tutsi and against traitors to the Hutu Nation, namely, opponents of the Habyarimana regime and moderate supporters advocating for power sharing with the FPR.

Since 1992, the radicalization of the political game has led to the creation of militias tasked with "defending" the interests of their respective political parties. These were established on the basis of the various existing youth bodies and quickly transformed into armed arms of their party.
Among them, two militias stand out; the Interhamwe ("those who attack together") attached to the presidential party of MRND and the Impuzamugambi ("those who pursue the same goal") related to the Coalition for the Defense of the Republic (CDR), a party of Jean-Bosco Paragwiza who is also a shareholder in the main extremist broadcaster, Radio Télévision Libre des Mille collines (RTML). Aided by the official army (FAR) and under the aegis of the MRND, all the racist mobilities united at the end of 1993 under the banner of "Hutu Power".