Question

Why did the Hutus in Rwanda hold a deep hatred for the Tutsis?

The Tutsis unrelentingly persecuted the Hutus when they were in power.
The Tutsis were a minority who had historically ruled over the Hutus.
The Tutsis held most of the country’s wealth even though they were a minority.
The Tutsis were a threat because their population was growing rapidl

Answer 1

Short answer: 2 and 3 are essentially correct; 1 is an oversimplification; 4 is false (it was propaganda rather than a real demographic threat).

Brief explanation:
- The Tutsis were a minority who historically formed the ruling/cattle-owning elite in Rwanda and occupied most administrative and economic positions. That created long-standing social and economic inequality (supports statement 2 and 3).
- Under Belgian colonial rule these differences were hardened into “ethnic” categories, and the colonizers favored Tutsis for education and jobs, which reinforced resentment.
- There were instances of repression and discrimination by Tutsi elites against Hutus when the former held power, but “unrelentingly persecuted” is too absolute; the relationship was complex and reciprocal at times, including cycles of violence (so 1 is an oversimplification).
- The idea that Tutsis were a growing demographic “threat” was largely a piece of Hutu extremist propaganda used to stoke fear and justify violence. Tutsis remained a small minority; there was no genuine large-scale population takeover (so 4 is not a factual reason, though it was used rhetorically).

All of this—historic inequality, colonial manipulation of identity, competing elites, and later extremist propaganda—helped produce the intense hatred that culminated in the 1994 genocide.