Without denying this complexity, however, it must be stressed that the 1994 genocide in Rwanda was, above all else, a political event. The violence of 1994 did not appear in a political vacuum Rather, it appeared in the context of a civil war in Rwanda that had begun in October 1990 as a result of military incursions into Rwanda' s northern region that were led by the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Army(RPA).In light of these ongoing invasions, and in the context of growing demands from moderate political voices to bring an end to the single-party state that had governed Rwanda since 1973, the Rwandan government, under the direction of President Juvenal Habyarimana, was faced with growing threats to its power. This sense of imminent threat was only reinforced by the Arusha Accord signed into law in August 1993. This internationally- monitored peace agreement mandated a transition to a power-sharing government in Rwanda This new"transitional government was intended to include a number of different political parties, to incorporate the Rwandan Patriotic Front(RPF) into the Rwandan political structure and to integrate the armed forces with the RPA. In this context, the Arusha Accord, along with the menacing presence of the RPa on Rwanda's northern border, provided a clear enemy against which the exclusionary "Hutu Power movement. once an extremist political party relegated to the fringe" of Rwandan politics, could move into "the mainstream of respectable politics. This extremist movement forged an alliance with the akazu, the group that effectively monopolized the bulk of political power under the Habyarimana regime and that thus likewise balked at the threat of multi-party reforms. In this context, the Hutu The Rwandan Patriotic Army(RPA)was a guerrilla army originally formed in Uganda within a diasporic Rwandan population comprised primarily of Tutsi refugees(see Footnote 6). The sons of these early Rwandan refugees in Uganda eventually formed the RPA. See Mamdani, When Victims Become Killers 159-184 The Rwandan Patriotic Front, or RPF, is the political party that evolved alongside the rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) d,. Des Forges, 123-125 Bruce D. Jones, "The Arusha Peace Process, "in Howard Adelman and Astri Republic of Rwanda, "The Arusha Peace Agreement, " nd http:/www.rwandal.com/government/historvfhtmi>(9April2004 12 Mamdani, When Victims Become Killers, 189 IS Akazu, or"little house, "is the term commonly used to denote the group of individuals associated with President Habyarimana. This group exercised significant political power during the period of Habyarimana's rule, and included individuals who had special connections to the President either through regional affiliation or through family ties. It especially included the extended family of the Presidents wife4 Without denying this complexity, however, it must be stressed that the 1994 genocide in Rwanda was, above all else, a political event. The violence of 1994 did not appear in a political vacuum. Rather, it appeared in the context of a civil war in Rwanda that had begun in October 1990 as a result of military incursions into Rwanda’s northern region that were led by the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA).9 In light of these ongoing invasions, and in the context of growing demands from moderate political voices to bring an end to the single-party state that had governed Rwanda since 1973, the Rwandan government, under the direction of President Juvénal Habyarimana, was faced with growing threats to its power. This sense of imminent threat was only reinforced by the Arusha Accord signed into law in August 1993. This internationally￾monitored peace agreement mandated a transition to a power-sharing government in Rwanda. This new “transitional” government was intended to include a number of different political parties, to incorporate the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)10 into the Rwandan political structure, and to integrate the armed forces with the RPA.11 In this context, the Arusha Accord, along with the menacing presence of the RPA on Rwanda’s northern border, provided a clear enemy against which the exclusionary “Hutu Power” movement, once an extremist political party relegated to the “fringe” of Rwandan politics, could move into “the mainstream of respectable politics.”12 This extremist movement forged an alliance with the akazu,13 the group that effectively monopolized the bulk of political power under the Habyarimana regime and that thus likewise balked at the threat of multi-party reforms. In this context, the Hutu 9 The Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) was a guerrilla army originally formed in Uganda within a diasporic Rwandan population comprised primarily of Tutsi refugees (see Footnote 6). The sons of these early Rwandan refugees in Uganda eventually formed the RPA. See Mamdani, When Victims Become Killers, 159-184. 10 The Rwandan Patriotic Front, or RPF, is the political party that evolved alongside the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA). 11 Des Forges, 123-125; Bruce D. Jones, “The Arusha Peace Process,” in Howard Adelman and Astri Suhrke, eds., The Path of a Genocide (New Brunswick and London: Transaction Publishers, 1999); Republic of Rwanda, “The Arusha Peace Agreement,” n.d., <http:/www.rwanda1.com/government/historyf.html> (9 April 2004). 12 Mamdani, When Victims Become Killers, 189. 13 Akazu, or “little house,” is the term commonly used to denote the group of individuals associated with President Habyarimana. This group exercised significant political power during the period of Habyarimana’s rule, and included individuals who had special connections to the President either through regional affiliation or through family ties. It especially included the extended family of the President’s wife