In 1994 mass killings occurred in Rwanda, as members of the Hutu majority killed more than a million members of the Tutsi minority, many of them murdered with machetes. Although many Hutus later claimed that they were just trying to defend themselves, which of the following indicates that it was really genocide?
A) There was often rape as well as murder during the conflict.
B) The killings happened at an even faster rate than during the Holocaust.
C) Many of the individuals who did the killing had stockpiled weapons earlier.
D) There was a discussion at the highest levels of government about the need to kill as many people as possible.
E) The killings were particularly brutal.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that there was a discussion at the highest levels of government about the need to kill as many people as possible is a clear example that the killings were premeditated and part of a deliberate plan to eliminate a certain group of people, which is the definition of genocide. The other choices may indicate that the killings were brutal and violent, but they do not necessarily prove that it was genocide.

In 1994 Mass Killings Occurred in Rwanda, as Members of the Hutu