· War Crimes & Atrocities

The Darkest Hours

The Rwandan genocide was defined by the deliberate, systematic, and total nature of its violence. In 100 days, an estimated 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed — approximately 10% of Rwanda's entire population and 70–80% of its Tutsi population. The killing was not the work of a distant killing machine; it happened in churches, schools, hospitals, and homes, carried out by neighbors, classmates, and community officials. Every prefecture of Rwanda saw mass killing. The institutions that should have offered sanctuary — churches, hospitals, UN safe zones — were in many cases converted into killing grounds. Sexual violence was systematic and deliberate, with an estimated 250,000–500,000 rapes committed, including the deliberate infection with HIV. The genocide also included its own record of resistance — particularly at Bisesero — and individual acts of courage by Hutu who hid Tutsi neighbors at mortal risk to themselves.