THE ROAD TO GENOCIDE: A CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS, 1918-1994

1918: Under the treaty of Versailles the former Germany Colony of Rwanda -urundi is made a U.N protectorate to be governed by Belgium. The two territories (later become Rwanda and Burundi) are administered separately under two different Tutsi monarchs. Both Germany and Belgium turned the traditional Hutu-Tutsi relationship into a class system. The minority Tutsi are favored over the hutu-tutsi relationship into a class system. The minority Tutsi are favored over the Hutus and given westerly style education. The Belgians used to the Tutsi minority to enforce their rule.

1926: Belgians introduce a system of ethnic identity cards differentiating Hutus from Tutsi
1957: PARMEHUTU Party for the emancipation of Hutu) is formed while Rwandans is still under Belgian rule.
1959: An estimated 150.000 Tutsis flee to Burundi after coming under attack hutus and the colonial army
1960: Hutus win municipal elections organized by Belgian colonial Rule
1961-62: Belgian Withdraw. Rwanda and Burundi two separate and independent countries
A Hutu revolution in Rwanda a new president,Gregoire Kayibanda,,fighting continues and thousands of Tutsi are forced to flee in Burundi, Tutsi retain power.\
1963: Further massacre of Tutsi, this time in response to military attack by exiled tutsi in Burundi. Again more refugees of Tutsi leave the country. It is estimated that by the mid 1960s half of the Tutsi population in living outside Rwanda.
1967: renewed massacre of Tutsi
1973: Purge of Tutsis from universities. Fresh outbreak of killing again directed at Tutsi community
July5, 1973: the army thief of a taff, General Juvenal Habyalimana, seizes power pledging to restore order. He sets –up a one party state. A policy of ethnic quotas is entrenched in all public service employment. Tutsi are restrict to nine percent of available jobs
1975: Habyarimana’s political party, the National Revolutional Mouvement for Development, or MRND is formed; 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 tutsi continues though the 70s and 80s.
French president Volery Giscard d’Estaing and Habyarimana sign a military assistance agreement.
1986, In Uganda, Rwanda exiles are among the victoriouss troops of Yoweri Museveni National Resistance army who take power, overthrowing the dictator Milton Obote. The exiles then from the Rwandese Patriotic Front(RPF)
1989: Coffee prices Collapse, causing severe economic hardship in Rwanda.
July 1990 under pressure from Western aid donors, Habyarimana concedes the principle of multi-party democracy
October1, 1990:RPF guerilla invade Rwanda from Uganda. After fierce fighting in which french,Belgian and airean troop are called in to assist government, a cease fire is signed an March29,1991.
Over 8,00 Tutsi men and women are arrested in Kigali. First massacre of tutsi reported in Kibilira, northern Rwanda
Dec.1990,Kangura,edited By Hassan Ngeze and financed by members of Habyarimana’s inner circle(akazu),publishes the hutu ten commandements.
The French increase their military presence.
1990/1991: The Rwandan army begins to train army civilian militias known for the next three years Habyarimana stalls on the establishment of a genuine multi-party system with power sharing. Throughout this period thousand of tutsi are killed in separate massacres around the country. Opposition politicians and newspapers are persecuted.
January1991: RPF launches a lighting raidon Ruhengeri town in the north, releases political prisoners.
Massacre of the Bigogwe Tutsis By Habyarimana’s army
Lists of Tutsi are drawn up in every village in the country.
March1992: Creation of extremist party, The Coalition of The Democratic Republic(CDR)
Massacre of Tutsis in Bugesera the south by interahamwe. It is regarded to day as the dress rehearsal for the genocide
August 992; Massacre of tutsi in Kibuye by interahamwe ,militia immediately after the singing of Arusha Ceasefire agreement.
November 1992: Prominent hutu activity Dr. Lean Mugesera appeals to hutus to send the tutsi back to Ethiopian via the river Nyabarongo. Habyarimana calls the Arusha accords “Worthless pieces of paper, Tutsi in his home region massacred .”
February 1993:RPF launches a fresh offensive and the guerillas reach reach the outskirth of Kigali. French forces are again called in to help the government side.
March1993: An international Commission of inquiry denounces thye practice of genocide and implicates high ranking political leaders in the massacre.
UN Security Council votes unanimously to send a peace keeping force. France begins pullout. RPF withdraws from captured areas, creation of a demilitarized Zone (DMZ) s
August 1993: Following months of negotiation, Habyarimana and the RPF sign a peace accord that allows for the return of refugee and a coalition government.2.500 UN troops are deployed in Kigali to oversee the implementation of the accord.
http://www.google.com/search