The Rwanda Genocide Archive is dedicated to
providing free access to a large collection of documents concerning the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The goal is to create both paper
and electronic archives, with a digital version available to the public online
via the Internet.
The killing in Rwanda was vicious, relentless and incredibly brutal. The stories of betrayal, of insensate cruelty, of human suffering, are reminiscent of atrocities of the World War II. But, unlike the Holocaust, far from trying to conceal what was happening, the killing took place in the spotlight of international news. The incitement to genocide was broadcast via a radio station, the people were psychologically prepared for months, and were ordered and coerced to carry out the extermination.
International reaction
"We have to draw lessons from Rwanda, but we have to draw the right lessons.
And if we do not draw the right lessons we will repeat it. Some are given the
impression that the international community did not act because they did not get
a cable, they did not have the information. That is blatantly false. The
overwhelming reason for failure in Rwanda was lack of will and lack of
resources."
Kofi Annan (UN Secretary General)
The Princeton Club in New York City on May 6, 2000
Project objectives
Provide a prototype for future study of genocidal activity.
Generate a critical, analytical understanding of the genocide and the
world's response to it.
Aid those who are hoping to improve the United Nations and to
create an adequate early warning system.
Make the UN more transparent and add information for use in the
debates about UN reform.
Show the importance of studying the decision-making process within the UN.
Learn about what happened and ensure that such an event will never happen
again.
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