Why did the hutus flee Rwanda?

Question

I was under the impression that the Hutus were the ones who waged the genocide, and that they were the majority. However, I read the wikipedida article, and it says 2 million hutus fled to Zaire, or present day DRC. It seems like it would make more sense for the Tutsis to flee to the DRC if they were the minority, and the ones being killed. Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

Backlash. When the Tutsis came into power the Hutus fled to neighboring countries because of anticipation of Tutsi retaliation.

Answer 2

It wasn't only the Hutus that were fighting, they were just the ones who organized a deliberate genocide. Huge numbers of Tutsi refugees from earlier conflicts were living in neighboring Uganda; many joined the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front), which invaded Rwanda in 1990. This was a huge catalyst for the genocide, as the government (and many people within Rwanda) were terrified and reacted with violence, seeking out the peaceful Tutsi within Rwanda as scapegoats.

The "Rwandan genocide" itself was deliberately orchestrated by the Hutu government in power, and largely carried out by the Interhamwe (the militias of largely poor and landless young men). Naturally, then, this is what we hear about the most, and it was the darkest side of the war. But there were also legitimate Hutu refugees, as many Hutu had to flee the advancing RPF.

There was a scandal, though, after the genocide, as many Hutu who had been actively involved in the genocide masqueraded as refugees to escape justice. So the Hutu you're reading about are a mix- most are legitimate victims of a genuine war, fearing to return after the RPF took over Rwanda, but some are actual perpetrators of genocide fleeing justice.