Analysis of Rwandan Genocide and Rohingya Genocide

By Victor Obech

Victor Obech is an alum of the Albany Law School Class of 2020. He completed his Master of Laws Degree (LLM) at Albany Law, having concentrated in International Law. Victor finished his undergraduate law degree at the University of Nairobi, Kenya in 2015. He is passionate about helping vulnerable immigrants with legal services. He enjoys research and community organization. Victor also works at The Devereux Foundation, a nonprofit organization with interest in providing support to individuals with developmental disability in the society.

Throughout the centuries, different nations and people have experienced acts of genocide. Even though genocide was formally recognized through the Genocide Conventions, targeted killing towards different particular groups of people started way before that. For instance, it is estimated that the Mongols killed and destroyed the lives of about 5% of the world’s population during the peak of their empire. At that time, there were no formalized laws that prevented or guided conduct during wars, and this led to massive deaths during the early century acts of war crime. The perpetrators were also not formally tried or punished in a manner that would deter future acts of war crimes like genocide.

This paper particularly looks into the Rwanda Genocide of 1994 and the Rohingya Genocide which is currently ongoing. The paper intends to make a comparative analysis of the responses of states and other bodies in prevention and punishment of genocide in the two instances. The paper aims at elucidating the necessary steps the world has made in prevention of acts of genocide, and what should be done during an ongoing genocide. It also analyses the punishments faced by the perpetrators and whether they were of deterrent nature or simply a slap on the wrist.

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To read the paper, open HERE.