Rwanda: 1) Information on whether the members of the Tutsi tribe are discriminated against by the government and denied access to secondary school, university, jobs or government positions; 2) Information on the current state of tribal relations between the Tutsis and the Hutus
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RWA10710 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Rwanda: 1) Information on whether the members of the Tutsi tribe are discriminated against by the government and denied access to secondary school, university, jobs or government positions; 2) Information on the current state of tribal relations between the Tutsis and the Hutus, 1 April 1992, RWA10710, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab276b.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
1) According to a report by Africa Watch, following a field visit by two representatives in November 1991, for years the Hutu government has discriminated against the 150,000 Tutsi minority who remained in Rwanda, "restricting their opportunities for higher education and employment" (27 Feb. 1992, 2). The Hutu comprise about 85 percent of the population of Rwanda and Tutsi make up about 14 percent (Africa Watch 27 Feb. 1992, 4). Since colonial time all Rwandans have been forced to carry identity cards that specify whether they are Hutu or Tutsi (Ibid.). The Africa Watch report and the U.S. Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1991 state that in November 1990, the government of Rwanda announced that the new identity card would be issued without this classification; at the end of 1991 the documents had not been revised (27 Feb. 1992, 4; 1992, 309-310). There is an existing ethnic quota system which results in the allocation of positions in academia, the civil service, and the military to members of Rwanda's principal ethnic group in proportion to their numbers which, "... in practice, limits access of Tutsis to education and important positions in government and military" (Country Reports 1991 1992, 310).
2) The attached Africa Watch report of 27 February 1992 and the issue paper of the U.S. Committee for Refugees of February 1991 provide detailed information on the historical and current ethnic conflict between the Hutu and the Tutsi.
References
Africa Watch. 27 February 1992. News from Africa Watch. Vol. IV, Issue 3. "Rwanda: Talking Peace and Waging War: Human Rights Since the October 1990 Invasion." New York: Human Rights Watch.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1991. 1992. U.S. Department of State. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, pp. 309-310.
U.S Committee for Refugees. February 1991. "Exile from Rwanda: Background to an Invasion." Washington, D.C.: U.S. Committe for Refugees.
Attachments
Africa Watch. 27 February 1992. News from Africa Watch. Vol. IV, Issue 3. "Rwanda: Talking Peace and Waging War: Human Rights Since the October 1990 Invasion." New York: Human Rights Watch.
U.S Committee for Refugees. February 1991. "Exile from Rwanda: Background to an Invasion." Washington, D.C.: U.S. Committe for Refugees.
