Rwanda

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One of the greatest tragedies to ever strike a nation in the history of man occurred during 1994 in the densely populated country of Rwanda. During a 100-day period between the months of April and July, over 800,000 people were slaughtered as the result of building tensions between two primary peoples in Rwanda, the Hutu and Tutsi. The country was broken to a point it had never experienced before. This was not the first time ethnic groups in Rwanda struggled to settle disputes violently. In the past 150 years of history that is recorded about Rwanda, the country has seen many changes of power, from colonial rule, to military rule, to kings, as well as democratic leadership. Initially given to the Germans in 1885 as a part of the German Empire, Rwanda has seen the influence of European power come and go. Following the First World War, power was given to Belgium in the Treaty of Versailles. The Belgians made some costly errors in managing the country of Rwanda that many consider were fuel to the ethnic controversy.

In times of conflict and persecution preceding the genocide of 1994, people ran to churches for safe places of refuge and relief. But this time many church leaders turned on the people and houses of worship were converted to places of murder. The authenticity of the church in Rwanda has, in the least, been questioned over this terrible occurrence. How could many churches not only justify, but participate in, such a terrible friction between two people groups?

By May of 1994 the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) was sweeping through Rwanda, ending the bloodshed one city at a time. In July, the RPF announced its capture of the town called Gisenyi and a final end to the war. A new government was established by the RPF with Paul Kagame being named the Vice-President and Minister of Defense. Many Rwandans believe that when the country was in its worst disaster in history, the world turned its back. Romeo Dallaire, a UN officer who remained in Kigali during the genocide, has written this response to America's and the world's inaction, "No amount of its cash and aid will ever wash its hands clean of Rwandan blood."

Rwanda is in a crucial time of nation building. Every governed aspect of the country was altered in 1994: social, developmental, economic, financial, and especially religious. Now is the time of rebuilding.
The receptivity of the government and people of Rwanda afford countless opportunities for Christ's followers to demonstrate the love of God through holistic ministry.