How did European colonization help lead to the Rwandan genocide?

Question

1.By slaughtering hundreds of thousands of people in Rwanda
2.By exacerbating existing tensions between the Hutus and the Tutsis
3.By maintaining a military presence after Rwanda was no longer a European colony
4.By European colonists in Rwanda actively engaging in genocidal actions.

Answer 1

2.By exacerbating existing tensions between the Hutus and the Tutsis

European colonization played a significant role in deepening the ethnic divisions between the Hutu and Tutsi populations in Rwanda. The colonizers implemented a system of divide and rule, favoring the Tutsis over the Hutus and giving them preferential treatment. The colonialists also imposed identification cards that further solidified ethnic distinctions and reinforced social hierarchies. These actions created a sense of superiority among the Tutsis and resentment among the Hutus, laying the groundwork for the ethnic conflict that eventually culminated in the Rwandan genocide.