Red text indicates most important events.
1894 Germany colonizes Rwanda.
1918 The Belgians assume control of Rwanda.
1926 Belgians introduce a system of ethnic identity cards differentiating Hutus from Tutsis.
1957 PARMEHUTU (Party for the Emancipation of the Hutus) is formed while Rwanda is still under Belgian rule.
1959 Hutus rebel against the Belgian colonial power and the Tutsi elite; 150,000 Tutsis flee to Burundi.
1961-62 Belgians withdraw. Rwanda and Burundi become two separate and independent countries.
1963 Further massacre of Tutsis. Again more refugees leave the country. It is estimated that by the mid-1960s half of the Tutsi population is living outside Rwanda.
1967 Renewed massacres of Tutsis.
1973 Purge of Tutsis from universities. Fresh outbreak of killings, again directed at Tutsi community. Tutsis are restricted to nine percent of available jobs.
1975 Hutus from the president's home area of northern Rwanda are given overwhelming preference in public service and military jobs. This pattern of exclusion of the Tutsis continues throughout the '70s and '80s.
1989 Coffee prices collapse, causing severe economic hardship in Rwanda.
1990/91 The Rwandan army begins to train and arm civilian militias known as Interahamwe. Throughout this period thousands of Tutsis are killed in separate massacres around the country.
Oct. 1990 RPF guerrillas invade Rwanda from Uganda. After fierce fighting in which French and Zairean troops are called in to assist the government, a cease-fire is signed on March 29, 1991.
February 1993 RPF launches a fresh offensive and the guerillas reach the outskirts of Kigali. French forces are again called in to help the government side. Fighting continues for several months.
August 1993 Following months of negotiations, Habyarimana and the RPF sign a peace accord that allows for the return of refugees and a coalition Hutu-RPF government. 2,500 U.N. troops are deployed in Kigali to oversee the implementation of the accord.
September 1993-March 1994 President Habyarimana stalls on setting up of power-sharing government. Training of militias intensifies. Extremist radio station, Radio Mille Collines, begins broadcasting exhortations to attack the Tutsis. Human rights groups warn the international community of impending calamity.
April 6, 1994 President Habyarimana and the president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, are killed when Habyarimana's plane is shot down near Kigali Airport. That night the killing begins.
April 7, 1994 The Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) and the Interahamwe set up roadblocks and go from house to house killing Tutsis and moderate Hutu politicians. Thousands die on the first day. U.N. forces stand by while the slaughter goes on. They are forbidden to intervene, as this would breach their "monitoring" mandate.
April 21, 1994 The U.N. cuts its forces from 2,500 to 250. The prime minister is killed and the Belgians are disarmed, tortured, and shot and hacked to death. They had been told not to resist violently by the U.N. force commander, as this would have breached their mandate.
April 30, 1994 The U.N. Security Council spends eight hours discussing the Rwandan crisis. The resolution condemning the killing omits the word "genocide." Had the term been used, the U.N. would have been legally obliged to act to "prevent and punish" the perpetrators. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of refugees flee into Tanzania, Burundi and Zaire. In one day 250,000 Rwandans, mainly Hutus fleeing the advance of the RPF, cross the border into Tanzania.
May 17, 1994 The U.N. agrees to send 6,800 troops and policemen to Rwanda with powers to defend civilians. A Security Council resolution says "acts of genocide may have been committed."
June 22, 1994 With still no sign of U.N. deployment, the Security Council authorizes the deployment of French forces in South-West Rwanda. They create a "safe area" in territory controlled by the government. Killings of Tutsis continue in the safe area, although some are protected by the French. The United States government eventually uses the word "genocide."
July 1994 The RPF captures Kigali. The Hutu government flees to Zaire, followed by a tide of refugees. The French end their mission and are replaced by Ethiopian U.N. troops. The Rwandan Genocide is resolved.
November 8, 1994 International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is established.
Timeline from PBS.
1918 The Belgians assume control of Rwanda.
1926 Belgians introduce a system of ethnic identity cards differentiating Hutus from Tutsis.
1957 PARMEHUTU (Party for the Emancipation of the Hutus) is formed while Rwanda is still under Belgian rule.
1959 Hutus rebel against the Belgian colonial power and the Tutsi elite; 150,000 Tutsis flee to Burundi.
1961-62 Belgians withdraw. Rwanda and Burundi become two separate and independent countries.
1963 Further massacre of Tutsis. Again more refugees leave the country. It is estimated that by the mid-1960s half of the Tutsi population is living outside Rwanda.
1967 Renewed massacres of Tutsis.
1973 Purge of Tutsis from universities. Fresh outbreak of killings, again directed at Tutsi community. Tutsis are restricted to nine percent of available jobs.
1975 Hutus from the president's home area of northern Rwanda are given overwhelming preference in public service and military jobs. This pattern of exclusion of the Tutsis continues throughout the '70s and '80s.
1989 Coffee prices collapse, causing severe economic hardship in Rwanda.
1990/91 The Rwandan army begins to train and arm civilian militias known as Interahamwe. Throughout this period thousands of Tutsis are killed in separate massacres around the country.
Oct. 1990 RPF guerrillas invade Rwanda from Uganda. After fierce fighting in which French and Zairean troops are called in to assist the government, a cease-fire is signed on March 29, 1991.
February 1993 RPF launches a fresh offensive and the guerillas reach the outskirts of Kigali. French forces are again called in to help the government side. Fighting continues for several months.
August 1993 Following months of negotiations, Habyarimana and the RPF sign a peace accord that allows for the return of refugees and a coalition Hutu-RPF government. 2,500 U.N. troops are deployed in Kigali to oversee the implementation of the accord.
September 1993-March 1994 President Habyarimana stalls on setting up of power-sharing government. Training of militias intensifies. Extremist radio station, Radio Mille Collines, begins broadcasting exhortations to attack the Tutsis. Human rights groups warn the international community of impending calamity.
April 6, 1994 President Habyarimana and the president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, are killed when Habyarimana's plane is shot down near Kigali Airport. That night the killing begins.
April 7, 1994 The Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) and the Interahamwe set up roadblocks and go from house to house killing Tutsis and moderate Hutu politicians. Thousands die on the first day. U.N. forces stand by while the slaughter goes on. They are forbidden to intervene, as this would breach their "monitoring" mandate.
April 21, 1994 The U.N. cuts its forces from 2,500 to 250. The prime minister is killed and the Belgians are disarmed, tortured, and shot and hacked to death. They had been told not to resist violently by the U.N. force commander, as this would have breached their mandate.
April 30, 1994 The U.N. Security Council spends eight hours discussing the Rwandan crisis. The resolution condemning the killing omits the word "genocide." Had the term been used, the U.N. would have been legally obliged to act to "prevent and punish" the perpetrators. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of refugees flee into Tanzania, Burundi and Zaire. In one day 250,000 Rwandans, mainly Hutus fleeing the advance of the RPF, cross the border into Tanzania.
May 17, 1994 The U.N. agrees to send 6,800 troops and policemen to Rwanda with powers to defend civilians. A Security Council resolution says "acts of genocide may have been committed."
June 22, 1994 With still no sign of U.N. deployment, the Security Council authorizes the deployment of French forces in South-West Rwanda. They create a "safe area" in territory controlled by the government. Killings of Tutsis continue in the safe area, although some are protected by the French. The United States government eventually uses the word "genocide."
July 1994 The RPF captures Kigali. The Hutu government flees to Zaire, followed by a tide of refugees. The French end their mission and are replaced by Ethiopian U.N. troops. The Rwandan Genocide is resolved.
November 8, 1994 International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is established.
Timeline from PBS.
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