Various Causes of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda with Emphasis on the Role of Population Pressure

Jeroen van Ginneken, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)
Margreet Wiegers, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute

First, revised data are presented on demographic rates in Rwanda in 1960-2000. These figures are more accurate than the existing ones, because they take better into account of the effects of various episodes of violence that occurred in 1959-1994. Next, we review the various analyzes that have been carried out aiming to explain why the genocide took place. Use is hereby made of views expressed by demographers, other social scientists and historians. Next, we provide a broad definition of population pressure and an operational definition. It is defined as extent of (im)balance between population size, agricultural production and land. Then we determine how important population pressure was in Rwanda in 1960-2000 and compared to other countries. We conclude, in the final section, that in Rwanda population pressure was very high and continuously present in 1960-2000 and that it was one of the two main groups of causes of the genocide.