On April 29, 1994, the United Nations Security Council formally addressed the escalating genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, marking a critical turning point in the international community’s response to the atrocities. The debate came after weeks of denial and inaction, during which the genocidal government continued its systematic extermination of the Tutsi population. ALSO READ: Finally, the UN recognises the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi For the first time, the Council acknowledged the scale of the killings, thanks in part to the efforts of Former Czech Ambassador Karel Kovanda, who urged members to confront the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe that had already claimed thousands of lives. Despite mounting evidence from organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières and Oxfam, hesitation among several permanent Security Council members delayed meaningful intervention, allowing the massacres to continue unchecked. ALSO READ: UN avoids labelling Tutsi killings as genocide The President of the World Peace Council called on member states to fulfill their obligations under the 1948 International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which requires intervention when genocide is committed. Countries such as New Zealand, Argentina, Spain, and the Czech Republic supported a resolution recognising the genocide. However, some superpowers resisted using the term genocide, fearing the legal and political implications. ALSO READ: UN has learnt nothing from Genocide against the Tutsi The French envoy and Rwanda’s representative lobbied to downplay the killings, framing them as a consequence of civil war rather than a deliberate campaign of extermination. After extensive debate, the Council avoided explicitly using the term genocide. Instead, it issued a statement reminding that killing people from one ethnic group based on a plan to exterminate them is a crime punishable under international law. ALSO READ: Giving the right name to the Genocide against the Tutsi is a good move by UN Meanwhile, inside Rwanda, atrocities continued unabated. At the Butotori Military Base, located in Butotori village, Rubona Cell, Nyamyumba Sector, Rubavu District, the Presidential Guard—stationed there under Habyarimana’s regime—was responsible for countless killings of Tutsi. The base served as a planning center for the genocide, led by senior military officers including Colonel Théoneste Bagosora and Colonel Anatole Nsengiyumva. It also hosted training for the Interahamwe militia, reportedly in collaboration with French forces. On the same day, a major attack was launched from Bugarama, led by Yussuf Munyakazi. Three trucks loaded with machete-, club-, gun-, and grenade-wielding assailants descended on Tutsi refugees. Survivors recall Interahamwe singing, Isi n'ibiyirimo byose ni iby’Abahutu (The world and everything in it belongs to the Hutu) as they launched grenades and slaughtered victims with machetes. The killings paused around 7:30 p.m., after which surviving girls were abducted and subjected to rape. ALSO READ: Habyarimana’s un-minimizable declaration of “the final solution” Elsewhere, Tutsi who had sought refuge at Kamarampaka Stadium faced desperate conditions—without food, water, or sanitation—leading to widespread illness, including a dysentery outbreak. Located near government and military buildings, Cyangugu Diocese, and Kamembe business center, the stadium had initially seemed a safe haven. Refugees, many with their cattle, began arriving there on April 9, 1994, after Hutu militias started torching Tutsi homes. However, the slaughter continued across the country, with Tutsi hunted and killed while fleeing or seeking protection. Administrative buildings, communes, and churches—places once considered sanctuaries—became sites of mass murder.
