0 when they launched a full-scale invasion of Rwanda from Ugandan territory. They sincerely believed that not only Tutsi, but Hutu as well, would welcome a return to Tutsi rule .Thousands fled Rwanda in advanced of the fighting. It was fear of a return to Tutsi minority rule that prompted the Hutu genocide of the Tutsi, and more important the loss of free power. Shortly after the downing of the (Hutu) Rwandan president’s plane on April 6, 1994, the Hutu extremist government began the mass killing of all Tutsi and moderate Hutu. The RPF found that it had to fight harder than in had originally expected, but eventually it secured military “victory” over the Hutu in July of 1994, but not before thousands were slaughtered on both sides .The modern history of Burundi shares similarities with that of Rwanda. It too was originally a society of coexisting Hutu and Tutsi. It was subsequently made a colony of Germany, and then Belgium as well. The evacuation of Belgian colonial rule in Burundi occurred in 1962, around the same time as Rwanda. What differed between the two nation’s histories was that Burundi retained Tutsi minority rule after independence. In the 1970’s, the Hutu attempted to challenge that, but their efforts resulted in 10,000 Tutsi and 150,000 Hutu deaths with no change in the political make-up of the nation. When Burundi did finally allow for democratic elections in 1991, Melchior Ndadaye, a Hutu, won and secured power peacefully. Once again, the sheer numbers of Hutu ensured their victory in a democratic forum .The transition to democracy, however, meant heightening tensions because of the division of the nation into specifically ethnic political parties. In 1993, Tutsis killed Ndadaye in a violent coup; the Tutsis have still retained their positions of power in Burundi’s military. Thus although the Tutsi are a distinct minority, they have the advantage of superior military train...
