Genocide is the destruction of a cultural, racial or political group through the use of “..unilateral massacres… (Hintjens 267). » In April 1994, “Rwandan subjects and citizens were the main actors in the genocide (Hintjens 244). » The establishment of colonial rule by Europeans impacted the conflict in Rwanda due to the creation of ethnic boundaries between Tutsis and Hutus. Hierarchies were established based on European racial theories. Throughout Rwanda's colonization and independence, the tension generated by European intervention only grew, leading to quotas and ineffective regulations. In addition to the assassination of Rwandan President Habyarimana, propaganda through the news and media openly publicized the planned genocide as an open secret (Hintjens 246). “Before the arrival of German and Belgian colonizers, social tensions between Hutus and Tutsis were fluid (White 472). In precolonial society, livestock ownership was the most important factor of ethnic association between Hutu and Tutsi. “Any man owning more than ten head of cattle was to be definitively classified as Tutsi, and any man owning less than ten head of cattle as Hutu or Twa (Hintjens 253). » The Hutu had a penchant for agriculture and the Tutsi were sometimes known for herding cattle. The aboriginal group of Rwanda was the Twa. They were a group of hunter-gatherers who made up 1% of the population and were generally considered a minority (Hintjens 252). Regarding the classification of social groups, the boundaries were not permanent. The Hutu and Twa were named "lords of the land", but the Tutsi controlled the livestock of the land. The system was flexible and each group could...... middle of document ......: African Rights, 1995.Berry, John A. and Carol Pott. Genocide in Rwanda: a collective memory. Washington, DC: Howard University Press, 1999. Hintjens, Helen M. “Explaining the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.” The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol 37 No. 2 (June 1999): p. 241-286. Longman, Timothy. “Church Politics and the Genocide in Rwanda.” Journal of Religion in Africa, Vol 31 (May 2001): p. 163-186. Melvern, Linda. Murder plot: the Rwandan genocide. Verso, 2006. Staub, Ervin. “Reconciliation after genocide, massacres or insoluble conflict: understanding the roots of violence, psychological recovery and steps towards a general theory. » Political psychology, Vol 27 n° 6 (December 2006): p. 867-894. White, Kenneth R. “Scourge of Racism: Genocide in Rwanda.” Journal of Black Studies, Vol 39 No. 3 (January 2009): p.. 471-481.