The April 6 shoot-down of a plane carrying the Hutu presidents of Rwanda and neighboring Burundi reignited the centuries-old tensions between Rwanda's majority Hutu and minority, but long-dominant, Tutsi ethnic groups. The Hutu blamed Tutsi rebels for the plane crash. The United Nations and others now suspect that hardline Hutu may have shot down the plane to silence moderate Hutu favoring power-sharing with the Tutsi. The United Nations estimates 500,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans have been killed in the slaughter. However, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the Tutsi-dominated rebel army, has captured large chunks of the country since the carnage began. About 1.7 million Rwandans of both ethnic groups have fled, mostly to Tanzania, to escape the violence.
ETHNIC MIX
Hutu 86%
Tutsi 13%
Twa 1%
Population 8.2 million
Per capita income $ 300
Literacy rate
Men 64%
Women 37%
SIZE 10,169 square miles -- comparable in size to New Hampshire FOREIGN AID SOURCES $ 46 million from European Community and $ 25 million from U.S. since September 1991. HISTORY The minority Tutsi have been a dominant force in the region since the 14th century. Rwanda and neighboring Burundi were part of German East Africa until 1919, when it was assigned to Belgium. After World War II, it became a United Nations trust under Belgium administration. A 1959 Hutu revolt ended Tutsi domination, with many Tutsi fleeing to Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. The Tutsi monarchy was abolished by referendum in 1961 and the country gained independence in 1962. Rwanda President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, came to power in a 1973 military coup. He installed a new civilian government. In 1990, abut 8,000 exiled Tutsi invaded Rwanda from Uganda. In 1991, a new constitution was signed, ending the Hutu-dominated single-party system and permitting multi-party politics, freedom of the press and a limited presidential term. In 1993, a peace accord was signed between the Tutsi rebels and the government.
